Oslo

Is Oslo safe?

Yes. Violence against visitors is rare in Oslo, and the realistic risk is a phone or wallet lifted at the airport or a station. Kripos, the national criminal police, counted 4 homicide cases in Oslo police district in 2025, out of 18 in all of Norway. The 19 people killed nationwide were the fewest since Kripos began its records in 1990. Few capitals have safer roads: Oslo municipality recorded 17 road deaths in the five years to 2025.

The catch is a rise in everyday crime since the pandemic years. Thefts and robberies have both climbed, and Oslo now has more theft per head than Stockholm. We score Oslo 88, one point above Stockholm (87), because its 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 is lower and it has not had Stockholm's wave of gang shootings.

How common is violent crime in Oslo?

Not common. Eurostat's regional police data record 3 homicides in the city in 2024, 0.42 per 100,000 people, and 22 over 2020–2024, about 0.6 a year. Kripos's figures for the police district tell the same story: between 1 and 8 cases a year since 2016, and 4 in 2025. Most Norwegian killings happen at home between people who know each other. Of the 18 cases in the whole country in 2025, Kripos says 5 took place in public, and in 4 of those the killer and victim were close.

Lower-level violence is a different picture. Statistics Norway counts about 9,270 reported violence offences a year in Oslo in 2024–2025, 12.8 per 1,000 residents, up from 11.3 in 2018–2019. Robbery has risen faster: 531 cases in 2024 against 327 in 2021, or 74 per 100,000, compared with 49 in Stockholm's county (Eurostat). That rise is why we take points off.

The 2022 Pride shooting

On 25 June 2022, during the city's Pride celebrations, a gunman opened fire at the London Pub, a hub of the city's gay scene, and a bar next door in the centre, killing two people and wounding others. In July 2024 an Oslo court found him guilty of aggravated terrorism and gave him 30 years, the longest sentence Norwegian law allows. In January 2026 a second man was convicted of planning the attack from Pakistan and also sentenced to 30 years; he said he would appeal.

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 terrorist attacks in Norway cannot be ruled out. That is the same wording it uses for most of Europe.

Theft at stations and the airport

Theft is the factor where Oslo loses most. Police recorded about 29,700 thefts in the city in 2024, 4,135 per 100,000 people, up from 3,017 in 2021 (Eurostat). That covers bike theft and shoplifting as well as pickpocketing, but the trend is clear. The UK 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 still calls the risk of petty theft small and points to two kinds of place: airports, and railway stations in and around Oslo.

In practice that means the airport express train, Oslo Central Station and the crowded platforms at rush hour. Keep your phone in a front or zipped pocket, keep a hand on your bag when you lift luggage onto a train, and lock any rented bike to something solid.

Walking at night in Oslo

Most residents feel safe after dark. In the EU's 2023 city survey, 82% of people in greater Oslo said they feel safe walking alone at night in the city and 89% in their own neighbourhood, the same city figure as Stockholm and above Helsinki (80%). After a night out, take a taxi from a rank or book one in an app rather than getting into a car that stops for you.

Traffic, air and winter

Statistics Norway counts 6 road deaths in Oslo in 2025 and 17 in 2021–2025, about 0.5 per 100,000 a year, one of the lowest rates of any capital. Serious injuries are more common, 65 in 2025, so look both ways for trams and cyclists before stepping off the pavement.

The air is clean for a capital: IQAir measured 6.9 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, about the same as Copenhagen. Tap water is excellent. Winter is 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 notes that Norwegian winters are long and can last well into April, so wear shoes with grip on icy pavements. The Norway page covers avalanches and mountain risks outside the city.

How we scored it

Traffic safety (95) and violent crime (93) are Oslo's strongest factors: about 0.6 homicides per 100,000Homicide 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 a year puts it in the rubric's top band, less 2 points for rising robbery and the 2022 Pride attack. Walking at night (86) follows the EU's 2023 survey of residents, which we use for every European city. Theft (75) is the weakest factor, because thefts have risen by more than a third since 2021 and thieves work the airport and stations.