CrossingHQ
Safety Score · Italy

How safe is Italy?

Italy is among the safest markets covered — a 0.57 per 100,000 homicide rate in 2023 (ISTAT; 334 homicides), corroborated by the UNODC-derived 0.568 for the same year. US and Canadian advisories cite terrorism risk rather than ordinary crime; the UK issues no country-specific safety headline. ISTAT data shows the South modestly above the Centre-North.

Safety Score · Italy · sub-national view

Grade range across 2 regions
B+toB+

2 of 2 regions earn a C or higher Centre-North leads at 89.9; South (Mezzogiorno) drags the country average at 89.3.

Italy is among the safest markets covered — a 0.57 per 100,000 homicide rate in 2023 (ISTAT; 334 homicides), corroborated by the UNODC-derived 0.568 for the same year. US and Canadian advisories cite terrorism risk rather than ordinary crime; the UK issues no country-specific safety headline. ISTAT data shows the South modestly above the Centre-North.

Regional distribution
2
ABCDF

Each bar = number of regions at that grade. Where you live in Italy matters more than the country average.

National aggregateB+89.7 / 100— a single number, useful for comparison; not the experience on the ground.
12-mo trend+3.6 pts
25507589.7
Sources · weighted composite
UNODC homicide 40% · three diplomatic advisories at 20% each
UNODC homicide
40%
0.57/100K
per 100K (2022)

0.57 intentional homicides per 100,000 people in 2023 (334 homicides), per ISTAT’s "Vittime di omicidio | Anno 2023" report; the UNODC-derived Our World in Data export gives 0.568 for the same year.

2023 reporting year (ISTAT report published 2024-11-20)Source ↗
US State Dept
20%
L2
score 70/100

Exercise increased caution in Italy due to the risk of terrorist violence..

2025-08-11Source ↗
Government of Canada
20%
L2
score 70/100

Exercise a high degree of caution in Italy due to the threat of terrorism..

2026-05-05Source ↗
UK FCDO
20%
L1
score 100/100

No country-specific safety headline; standard preamble only.

2026-04-10Source ↗
Last verified2026-05-16·Methodology v1.0.0How we calculate this score →
The read

What a D+ means here

ISTAT’s 0.57 per 100,000 homicide rate for 2023 and the UNODC-derived 0.568 corroborate each other, and the violent-crime baseline is very low. The US and Canadian advisories sit at their middle level but on a terrorism basis, not ordinary crime. ISTAT shows the South (Mezzogiorno 0.68) modestly above the Centre-North (0.53) for 2023.

The Safety Score does not average disagreement away. Where the homicide data and the advisories pull in different directions, the composite holds the tension and the editor’s note explains it — because the honest answer for Italy is that the neighbourhood you buy in matters more than the national grade.

Statistical peers

Markets that score within range of Panama on the composite.

Spain
B+
Composite 89.40.3% less safe
0.6/100K homicides
Germany
B+
Composite 87.52.2% less safe
0.9/100K homicides
United Kingdom
B+
Composite 86.53.2% less safe
1.1/100K homicides
United States
C+
Composite 79.610.1% less safe
6.4/100K homicides
Japan
A+
Composite 98.18.4% safer
0.2/100K homicides
Places you know

Fixed reference points so the grade is legible to a North-American reader.

United StatesAnchor
C+
Composite 79.610.1% less safe
6.4/100K homicides
CanadaAnchor
B+
Composite 88.80.9% less safe
2/100K homicides
United KingdomAnchor
B+
Composite 86.53.2% less safe
1.1/100K homicides
SpainAnchor
B+
Composite 89.40.3% less safe
0.6/100K homicides
JapanAnchor
A+
Composite 98.18.4% safer
0.2/100K homicides
How we calculate this score →
The Brief

One market read, one process explainer, one number to know.

Free, no sponsors. Cross-border property and retirement, written for North American buyers.