Yogyakarta

Is Yogyakarta safe?

Yes, for nearly all visitors. Yogyakarta, which locals call Jogja, is a university city and the base for Borobudur and Prambanan, and its streets are among the calmest of any big city in Indonesia. Indonesia's recorded 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 0.30 per 100,000 people (UNODC, 2022), very low even allowing for undercounting. The real risks lie elsewhere: a young-gang problem at night that the city calls klitih, protests that have turned violent twice in just over a year, motorbike traffic, the surf on the south coast, and a volcano and fault zone that have killed thousands this century.

We score Yogyakarta 65, between Jakarta (64) and Bali (66). Its crime and air are better than Jakarta's; its natural hazards are worse than Bali's.

Klitih: what it is and how to avoid it

Klitih is the name for random attacks by groups of teenagers on motorbikes, who ride up to other riders or people on the street and slash or hit them, often with no robbery involved. Yogyakarta's regional police (Polda DIY) recorded 58 cases and 102 people prosecuted in 2021, up from 52 in 2020. A wave of attacks that year, including a slashing at the Kentungan underpass in Sleman, led to a #YogyaTidakAman (Yogya is not safe) campaign online, and the deputy police chief asked the province for more street lighting and cameras.

Visitors are rarely the targets, and the attacks happen mostly late at night on quieter roads outside the centre, not on Malioboro. 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's general advice for Indonesia applies: avoid poorly lit areas at night. After midnight, take a Grab or Gojek car rather than riding a scooter alone, and stay on main roads.

Protests near Malioboro and the police headquarters

Yogyakarta's students make it a protest city. During the national unrest of late August 2025, crowds clashed with police outside the Polda DIY headquarters on the Ring Road; police said a crowd that grew to about 500 threw stones, firecrackers and petrol bombs from late on 30 August until 6am, and six people were hurt. Rheza Sendy Pratama, an Amikom University student who student groups said had joined a protest, died in Dr. Sardjito hospital on 31 August; his university opened an inquiry, and the hospital did not say whether his death was linked to the clashes.

Most recently, on 28 October 2026, a national day of student protests, a night protest at the regional parliament (DPRD DIY) on Malioboro turned into a riot. Police said the afternoon rally at Titik Nol Kilometer had broken up by 5:30pm, when a second, unidentified group came to the DPRD building, threw stones, firecrackers and fireworks, set things alight and damaged traders' stalls and cash machines; officers pushed the crowd north to the Tugu monument by about 10pm. A week earlier, on 20 October, police had held 32 people inside the DPRD grounds after scuffles at another protest. The Jakarta rally on 28 October ended peacefully. If you are staying on Malioboro, leave the street when crowds gather near the DPRD building and check local news before going out.

Theft and touts

Ordinary crime is low. 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 warns of bag snatching and pickpocketing in busy tourist areas of Indonesia, and on crowded evenings Malioboro and the Beringharjo market draw pickpockets. Card fraud is common across the country, so use ATMs inside banks or malls. The common annoyance is the becak (cycle rickshaw) driver offering a ride for almost nothing, which tends to end at a batik gallery or bakpia shop that pays him commission. Agree the route and price first or use an app.

Roads, sea and volcano

WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary Indonesia's road death rate at 11.4 per 100,000 people in 2023, and in Yogyakarta, as elsewhere in Java, most of the dead are motorbike riders. Traffic in the centre is slow, but the Ring Road and the roads to Borobudur and the beaches are fast. Pavements outside Malioboro are narrow and often blocked by parked bikes.

The south coast is beautiful and dangerous. At Parangtritis and the Gunungkidul beaches, heavy surf and rip currents pull swimmers out; in April 2025 a visitor was swept away at Parangtritis and found dead two days later.

Merapi, about 30 km north of the city, is one of the world's most active volcanoes. Its 2010 eruption killed more than 340 people. In August 2026 BPPTKG kept it at Level III (Siaga), with pyroclastic flows reaching 1.8 km and danger zones of up to 7 km along river valleys to the south and south-west and up to 5 km to the south-east; a flow on 30 September reached about 2 km. Ash can close the airports. The deadlier threat is the ground: the 27 May 2006 earthquake struck at 5:53 in the morning and killed at least 5,749 people in the Bantul–Yogyakarta area, by the USGS count.

Health and getting care

Air in Yogyakarta is far cleaner than in Jakarta, though 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 big Indonesian cities can reach unhealthy levels and volcanic ash can affect people with asthma. Dengue is present, and tap water is not safe to drink. Dr. Sardjito, the state university hospital, and the city's private hospitals cover most emergencies; serious cases may go to Jakarta or abroad. The main airport, YIA, is about 45 km west in Kulon Progo, so allow time to reach it.

How we scored it

Road safety (48) and natural hazards (48) are Yogyakarta's weakest factors, set by Indonesia's road death rate and the Merapi and earthquake record. Violent crime (82) is the strongest, held below 90 for klitih and the 2025 and 2026 riots. Night safety (66) uses Indonesia's Gallup share in the band 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's poorly-lit-areas advice sets, three points below Jakarta and Bali for klitih.