Mumbai

Is Mumbai safe?

For most visitors, yes, and it is easier going than Delhi. Mumbai Police recorded 126 murders in 2025, about one per 100,000 residents, and street life in Colaba, Marine Drive and Bandra carries on late into the night. The problems are the ones you expect in a city of more than 12 million: pickpockets in crowds, trains packed past capacity, traffic that does not stop for pedestrians, smog in winter and floods in the monsoon.

We score Mumbai 66 out of 100, the same as Bangkok and well above Delhi, which loses points mainly for its air. Our India page covers the rest of the country.

Theft and touts

Police registered 8,060 thefts in Mumbai in 2025, plus 181 snatchings and 85 chain snatchings, according to the Mumbai Police year-end statement. Only about a third of the thefts were solved, so do not count on getting a phone back. The UK Foreign Office warns of pickpockets, motorbike snatch thieves and touts in India's tourist areas.

Where to keep your guard up:

• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) and Churchgate stations, and any local train at rush hour.
• Colaba Causeway market and the Gateway of India, where touts also offer boat trips, Bollywood extra work and tours.
• Crawford Market and the lanes around it, and crowded beaches such as Juhu and Girgaon Chowpatty on weekend evenings.

Black-and-yellow taxis and autos (in the suburbs) mostly use meters, which makes Mumbai less of a haggling city than Delhi. Uber and Ola work well. Card skimming and phone scams are common across India, 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, so use ATMs inside banks.

Walking at night and women's safety

Mumbai has a reputation among Indian women as the big city where they feel safest out late, and many visitors find the same. It is not free of problems: police recorded 1,262 rape cases and 2,468 molestation cases in 2025, both up on 2024, and the city ranked second among India's big cities for crime against women in 2024, with 6,358 cases, about half Delhi's number.

Marine Drive, Colaba, Fort, Bandra West and Juhu are busy and well lit in the evening. Use app cabs late at night, use the ladies' compartments on local trains, and keep drinks in sight; 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 reports spiked food and drinks used to rob travellers. Terrorist attacks hit Mumbai's hotels, a station and a café in 2008, and security checks at big hotels and malls date from then.

Trains, roads and pedestrians

Mumbai's roads are less deadly than most Indian cities'. The traffic police recorded 374 road deaths in 2023, about 3 per 100,000 residents, but 151 of them were pedestrians, and pavements are often blocked by stalls and parked bikes. Cross at signals or skywalks and take extra care on the Western Express Highway and other arterials.

The suburban railway is a separate risk. At peak hours, people ride hanging from open doors, and falls and track crossings kill people every week. Travel between about 11 am and 5 pm or late in the evening, stand away from the doors, and use footbridges, never the tracks. The Metro lines and the Coastal Road have eased some trips.

Air, water and the monsoon

Winter air is the main health issue. PM2.5PM2.5Tiny 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 averaged 49 µg/m³ from October 2024 to January 2025, according to the Centre for Science and Environment, the lowest winter average in four years but still about ten times the WHO annual guideline. Deonar in the east averaged 80. From June to September, sea breezes and rain keep the air much cleaner.

The monsoon brings its own problems. Heavy rain floods low streets such as those around Hindmata, Andheri subway and Sion, stops local trains and delays flights. Dengue and malaria rise during and after the rains. Avoid wading through floodwater, which can hide open drains. Tap water is not safe to drink. Private hospitals such as Breach Candy, Lilavati and Kokilaben are good, and you will need insurance.

How we scored it

Health and environment (48) is Mumbai's weakest factor because of winter smog and monsoon disease, followed by natural hazards (55) for flooding. Traffic (62), theft (66) and night safety (68) are middling. Violent crime (84) is strong, at about one murder per 100,000 people.