Liechtenstein

The short answer

Liechtenstein is safe to visit. Crime is low, there is no terrorism record, and the US State Department rates it Level 1. Its only specific warning is about the mountains, where avalanches, landslides and sudden weather changes can be dangerous. We score Liechtenstein 88, below its neighbour Switzerland (93) and level with Austria (88), with which it shares the same Alpine risks.

Almost every number about Liechtenstein needs a health warning. About 41,000 people live there, so one case can swing a rate per 100,000 from zero to more than seven. We use multi-year averages wherever we can and say so.

How safe is Liechtenstein from crime?

Very safe, with one caveat that shows the problem with small numbers. The national police, the Landespolizei, recorded 1,424 offences in 2025, up 4%, and solved 68% of them. Eurostat data show zero, one or two homicides in most years since 2015. Then, just before Christmas 2025, three members of one family were killed in a domestic case; the police report says the suspect later took his own life in Switzerland. That single domestic case means the 2025 rate looks like a high-crime country's.

Averaged over the ten years to 2025, Liechtenstein had about nine homicide victims, roughly 2.3 per 100,000 a year. That is higher than Switzerland's rate of 0.6 but still low, and the case that drove it up was a family killing, not street violence. Recorded violent offences did rise sharply in 2025, from 230 to 331, mostly assaults, coercion and threats, and the police named the rise as a concern.

For visitors the picture is simpler. 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 calls crime levels low and mentions only occasional bag snatching and pickpocketing. Police recorded 248 thefts in 2025, and burglaries fell 15% to 123. Drug laws are strict: the FCDO warns of long jail terms and heavy fines for any illegal drug, cannabis included, even in transit.

Mountains: the real risk

Liechtenstein is small, but most of it is mountain, rising from the Rhine valley to peaks above 2,500 m. 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 lists the Alpine hazards: avalanches and snowdrifts, landslides and flooding, glacial crevasses, rockfall, thunderstorms, altitude sickness, sun exposure and sudden weather changes. It adds that avalanche risk exists in the mountains all year round.

The Landespolizei's Alpine police unit dealt with one fatal hiking accident, two serious ski accidents and two paragliding accidents in 2025, and a multi-day search for a missing walker in winter conditions, who later returned unhurt. Those numbers are small, but they are where visitors actually get hurt.

• Check the weather the evening before and again in the morning; summer thunderstorms often build by early afternoon.
• Do not hike alone, and leave your route with someone, as the FCDO advises.
• Off-piste skiing at Malbun or on ski tours needs a transceiver, probe, shovel and training.
• Make sure your insurance covers mountain rescue, helicopter transport and transfer to a Swiss or Austrian hospital.

Roads and getting around

The Landespolizei counted 460 road crashes in 2025, 93 with injuries, 34 people seriously hurt and two deaths, after three deaths in 2024. That works out at about 6 per 100,000 residents. The resident figure overstates the risk, because thousands of people commute in from Switzerland and Austria every day. Most crashes (86%) happen in built-up areas, and crashes involving cyclists and e-bikes fell from 52 to 38.

Police enforce traffic rules strictly, and 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 that a traffic stop can mean a heavy fine or even a prison sentence. If you arrive by motorway through Switzerland or Austria, you need those countries' motorway vignettes. In winter, mountain roads to Malbun and Steg can turn difficult quickly; carry warm clothes, water and food in the car.

Health

Health risks are low and care is good. Liechtenstein has a national hospital in Vaduz, and major Swiss hospitals are a short drive away. 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 the EHIC and GHIC are now accepted for medically necessary state care, though they do not replace travel insurance. The one disease risk worth planning for is ticks between April and October; CDC recommends tick-borne encephalitis vaccine for travellers with heavy outdoor exposure. Check for ticks after walks in forest and long grass. Dial 144 or 112 for an ambulance.

How we scored it

Conflict (94), health (93) and petty crime (90) are the strongest factors. Violent crime (88) is scored on a ten-year average of about 2.3 homicide victims per 100,000, which includes one family killing that tripled the 2025 figure. Road safety (82) reflects about 6 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024–2025, and natural hazards (80) are the weakest factor because of avalanches, rockfall and Alpine storms. Confidence is medium because every rate rests on very small counts.