Oaxaca

Is Oaxaca City safe?

Yes, for most visitors, and it is one of the calmer Mexican cities we score. SESNSP, the federal crime statistics office, recorded 16 victims of intentional homicideHomicide 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 and femicide in Oaxaca de Juárez from January to September 2026. On the 2020 census population of 270,955, that is about 7.9 per 100,000 a year, lower than Guadalajara or Puerto Vallarta, both about 11.

The risks that matter more are ordinary ones: theft, traffic, polluted air and earthquakes, plus protests that block roads at short notice. We score Oaxaca City 59, just above Mexico City (58) and below Puerto Vallarta (60).

This page covers the municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, the state capital, which takes in the historic centre and the surrounding districts. Towns and villages in the Central Valleys around it belong to other municipalities with their own figures.

Crime in Oaxaca City

Murder numbers are low by Mexican standards and falling. SESNSP counted 41 murder and femicide cases in the municipality in 2023, 25 in 2024 and 21 in 2025. The US State Department rates Mexico at Level 2, exercise increased caution, and its state map, shared by the US embassy in June 2026, puts Oaxaca at the same level, below Jalisco's Level 3.

Oaxaca was not untouched by the unrest of February 2026. When serious incidents broke out in Jalisco after a federal operation against organised crime, 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 advice of 23 February also reported security incidents in tourist areas of Oaxaca state. These were brief, but they are a reminder to follow local news.

Theft figures are harder to read. Police opened 669 cases of robbery from pedestrians in 2023, 363 in 2024 and only 93 in 2025, about 34 per 100,000 people. A fall of 86% in two years is not credible as a real drop in theft and more likely reflects how cases are recorded, so we treat the figure as unreliable and score theft like Puerto Vallarta's rather than better. The FCDO warns that pickpocketing and theft are common across Mexico, including on buses, and that women travelling alone on public transport have been harassed and robbed.

Protests and blockades

Protests are part of life in Oaxaca, and they can affect travel more than crime does. In 2026 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 reported ongoing protests blocking vehicle access to Oaxaca airport. It advises checking your flight status, following local media and allowing more time to get to and from the airport. Demonstrations in Mexico can be tense and sometimes violent, and foreigners who join them may be detained and deported, so watch from a distance or walk away.

On longer road trips, the FCDO warns that local groups sometimes set up unofficial roadblocks in remote areas to demand a toll, and that these can turn violent. Use first-class buses on toll roads, and travel between cities in daylight, as US government staff must.

Nights out and drinks

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 gives no after-dark warning for Oaxaca City, unlike downtown Cancún, Tulum and Playa del Carmen. It does warn of sexual assaults in tourist areas, especially after dark, and of drink spiking. Methanol in alcoholic drinks has caused deaths in Mexico, and it cannot be detected by taste or smell. Buy drinks from established bars and shops, and do not leave a glass unattended.

Gallup's 2025 survey found 51% of Mexicans feel safe walking alone at night. In practice, keep to lit, busy streets and take an app ride or a taxi from a regulated stand back to your room.

Earthquakes, roads and health

Earthquakes are the main natural hazard. 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 tremors happen regularly in Oaxaca state, and USGS lists eight quakes of magnitude 7 or more within 250 km of the city from 1995 to 2020. The closest was a magnitude 7.5 quake about 114 km away in September 1999; the most recent was a magnitude 7.4 quake on the Oaxaca coast, about 150 km away, in June 2020. The city is inland, away from the coasts where hurricanes make landfall.

Roads are a bigger daily risk than crime. SESNSP counted 22 road deaths in the municipality from January to September 2026, about 10.8 per 100,000 a year, more than the murder rate.

The WHO database gives Oaxaca an annual 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 of 22 µg/m³ in 2018, above the guideline. At 1,542 metres, the altitude can leave some visitors short of breath for the first days. The FCDO's list of English-speaking providers includes two private hospitals in the city, Centro Médico del Sureste and Hospital Reforma.

How to stay safe in Oaxaca City

• Check flight status and allow extra time for the airport when protests are reported.
• Move away from demonstrations and do not join them.
• Learn what to do in an earthquake, and know the exits where you stay.
• Use toll roads and first-class buses, in daylight, for trips outside the city.
• Watch your drink, and buy alcohol only from established places.

Our Mexico page covers the rest of the country.

How we scored it

Violent crime (63) is the strongest factor, with a murder rate of about 8 per 100,000. Road safety (49) and natural hazards (54) are the weakest: traffic kills more people than crime here, and strong earthquakes are frequent in the region. Theft (60) is scored with caution because the official count swings sharply from year to year.