Montevideo

Is Montevideo safe?

For most visitors, yes. A few days of the Rambla, the beaches at Pocitos, the Mercado del Puerto and the old town rarely go wrong. But Montevideo has a crime problem that its calm feel hides. The interior ministry's statistics unit counted 210 homicides in the department in 2025, about 16.4 per 100,000 people, against 2.5 in Buenos Aires across the river. Its average rate of 15.8 for 2022 to 2024 was the highest of Uruguay's 19 departments, and the city has most of the country's robberies.

The good news is that the violence is concentrated, and it fell in 2025, from 233 killings the year before. We score Montevideo 58 out of 100, level with Mexico City and above São Paulo. Canada advises a high degree of caution in Montevideo because of crime, even though it rates the rest of Uruguay at normal precautions.

Where the violence happens

The interior ministry's 2025 diagnosis links the rise in killings to the drug trade, revenge killings and frequent shootouts between gangs, with the first signs of gangs controlling parts of outer barrios. Canada lists the neighbourhoods where it advises the most caution: Casavalle, Marconi, Villa del Cerro, Casabó, La Teja, Malvín Norte, Villa Española, Bella Italia, Barrio Borro, 40 Semanas, Tres Ombúes and Hipódromo. They are mostly residential districts on the edge of the city, and a visitor has little reason to go there.

The areas visitors use are different. In summer, tourist police patrol the Centro, the Ciudad Vieja, Cordón, Parque Rodó, Pocitos and Punta Carretas, where most hotels are.

Robbery and theft in the centre

Robbery, not murder, is the risk visitors meet. The ministry puts Montevideo's robbery rate at 1,241.6 per 100,000 people a year (2022–2024 average), twice the national figure, and the city has more than 81% of Uruguay's robberies. More than half of robberies target pedestrians, and a firearm was present in 59.1% of robberies nationally in 2022–2023.

Canada names 18 de Julio Avenue, the Ciudad Vieja, Plaza Independencia and the port as the places where muggings and armed robbery are more common. Thieves often work in pairs on a motorbike, approaching at traffic lights, car parks, cash machines or hotel entrances. What helps:

• Use cash machines inside banks, shopping centres or supermarkets.
• Carry a copy of your passport and leave the original in the hotel safe.
• Keep your phone away from the kerb, especially on 18 de Julio.
• If you rent a car, park in paid car parks; the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says thieves smash windows at traffic lights.
• If someone threatens you, hand over what they want.

Walking at night

Downtown is the part to watch. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises against walking downtown or in the port area alone, especially at night and at weekends, and Canada says to be cautious at night in downtown Montevideo even in well-travelled areas. The Ciudad Vieja is lovely for dinner, but its side streets empty after the restaurants close. Take a taxi or ride app back to your hotel rather than walking along 18 de Julio after midnight.

Gallup's 2025 survey found 50% of Uruguayans feel safe walking alone at night, a low share by world standards though higher than in Argentina (48%), Chile (39%) or Peru (43%).

Roads, health and weather

Traffic is the risk people underrate. UNASEV, the road safety agency, counted 124 road deaths in Montevideo in 2025, 9.7 per 100,000, and half of the dead nationally were motorcyclists. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says drivers change lanes without indicating, stop in the middle of the road and ignore lights and stop signs, and motorbikes ride the wrong way down one-way streets. Look both ways at every junction.

Air is cleaner than in most Latin American capitals: IQAir measured 11.5 µg/m³ of fine particlesPM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary in 2024, above the WHO guideline. Health care is very good, Canada says, and the British Hospital, Sanatorio Americano and MP Medicina Privada run 24-hour emergency departments that take tourists without insurance; you pay before you leave. The sun is strong, and dengue is sporadic.

There are no earthquakes or hurricanes. Occasional storms lasting two or three days cause floods and damage, and Canada warns that El Niño in 2026–2027 may bring more of them. On the beaches, swim where lifeguards fly flags.

For the rest of the country, including Punta del Este and Colonia, see our Uruguay page.

How we scored it

Violent crime (47) and traffic safety (50) are Montevideo's weakest factors, followed by theft and robbery (52) and walking at night (58). Natural hazards (78) and health (76) are strong. The homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary, more than six times that of Buenos Aires, is the reason the city scores ten points below its neighbour despite a calmer street life.