Rio de Janeiro

Is Rio de Janeiro safe?

Rio is safe enough to visit, but only with a plan. Millions of tourists enjoy its beaches every year, and the areas they use are policed heavily. Yet robbery in those same areas is frequent, and Rio's long conflict between drug gangs, militias and police produces a level of gun violence no other city on our list matches except Cape Town.

We score Rio 48. That puts it below Mexico City, whose murder rate is lower and whose risks are easier to avoid.

Guns, gangs and police

Brazil's violent death rate fell to 19.1 per 100,000 in 2025, the lowest in 13 years, according to the Anuário Brasileiro de Segurança Pública. Rio de Janeiro state went the other way, with violent deaths up 2.1%. Police killed so many people that police interventions accounted for 20.5% of the state's violent deaths.

The clearest example came on 28 October 2025. About 2,500 police entered the Alemão and Penha complexes in the North Zone to target the Comando Vermelho gang. The official death toll was 121, including four police officers; the state's public defender counted more than 130. It was the deadliest police operation in Brazil's history.

This violence is concentrated in favelas and in the North and West Zones, mostly far from Ipanema and Copacabana. But favelas sit on the hills above tourist districts too, and stray bullets have hit people outside them. The UK Foreign Office advises against visiting any favela, including tours sold to tourists and hostels or bars advertised as being inside one.

Robbery where tourists go

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 thefts are particularly common on Rio's public beaches. The most frightening form is the arrastão, where a large group runs along a crowded beach grabbing bags and phones, usually on hot weekends. More common are phone snatches on the beachfront and in traffic, pickpocketing on buses and in the metro, and armed robbery on empty streets at night.

What locals do:

• Carry a small amount of cash and one card. Leave passports, jewellery and watches at the hotel.
• Keep your phone out of sight on the street, especially at the kerb and at car windows in traffic.
• On the beach, never leave belongings on the sand while you swim.
• If you are robbed, hand everything over without resistance. Robbers are sometimes armed and nervous.
• Watch your drink in bars and do not take drinks from new acquaintances; the FCDO warns about drink spiking in Brazil.

After dark

Ipanema, Leblon and the streets of Botafogo stay lively in the evening and feel fine on the main roads. The beaches themselves become risky after dark. The Centro empties at night and at weekends, and Lapa's weekend street parties draw pickpockets and robbers, so arrive and leave by Uber or 99 rather than on foot. In Santa Teresa, visit the Selarón Steps and the tram area by day.

From the airport, take a ride app or an official taxi. The Linha Vermelha and Linha Amarela expressways from Galeão pass close to conflict areas and occasionally close during shootouts. If traffic stops, follow other drivers and do not try a detour through unfamiliar streets.

Roads, heat and storms

Brazil's road death rate is several times that of Western Europe, according to the WHO. In Rio, motorbike couriers and fast buses make walking riskier than it looks. Use crossings with signals and watch for motorbikes between lanes.

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 flash floods and landslides are common in Rio, including in tourist areas, because steep hills rise straight from the coast. Summer storms between December and March can flood streets within an hour. Heat is severe in the same months; in November 2023 a fan died at a concert during an extreme heat episode. Dengue epidemics recur in hot, wet months, so use repellent. Private hospitals in Botafogo, Copacabana and Barra are good; public emergency care is stretched.

Where to stay

Ipanema and Leblon are the safest and most expensive bases. Copacabana is cheaper and fine if you choose a hotel on a busy street and avoid the sand at night. Botafogo, Flamengo and Lagoa are good residential options. Barra da Tijuca is safer but far from the sights. Avoid lodgings inside favelas and the Centro at night. Read our Brazil page for travel elsewhere in the country.

How we scored it

Theft and scams (32) and night safety (38) are Rio's weakest factors, followed by violent crime (42). Health (70) is the strongest, helped by cleaner air than many megacities. Rio scores above Cape Town mainly because Cape Town's murder rate is much higher.