Lagos crime ranking places the city 27th globally, with a 69.1 crime index and 30.9 safety score in Numbeo’s 2026 report

The ranking, published by Numbeo and obtained by PUNCH Online on Saturday, November 7, 2026, places Lagos among cities with high perceived crime levels, highlighting continuing concerns about personal safety and security in one of Africa’s busiest commercial centres.

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According to the report, Numbeo classifies crime index scores between 60.01 and 80 as high, placing Lagos firmly within that category.

The assessment also places the city ahead of several internationally recognised urban centres, including Oakland, New Orleans, Marseille and Mexico City, which recorded crime indices of 68.6, 67.7, 67.1 and 66.1 respectively.

However, the ranking does not mean Lagos has the 27th-highest officially recorded crime rate worldwide. Numbeo’s findings are based primarily on public perceptions and user-submitted survey responses rather than verified police records or government crime statistics.

At the top of the global ranking, Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea and Caracas in Venezuela jointly recorded crime indices of 81.4 points each.

Pretoria, South Africa, followed with 81.3 points, while Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg recorded 81.1 and 80.8 respectively.

Other cities among the 10 highest-ranked included Durban, South Africa, with 80.5 points; San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with 79.9; Port Elizabeth, South Africa, with 78.3; Memphis, United States, with 78; and Salvador, Brazil, with 76.7.

Lagos also recorded a less favourable safety assessment than Nairobi, Kenya, which had a crime index of 58.8 and a safety index of 41.2.

The ranking places Lagos below cities such as Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Doha, which recorded some of the lowest crime scores in the assessment.

Abu Dhabi occupied the safest position among the 406 cities, with a crime index of 11.2 and a safety index of 88.8. Ajman followed with 12 points, while Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Doha recorded 14.7, 15.3 and 15.4 respectively.

The figures are particularly significant when considered alongside other assessments of security challenges in Lagos.

A report presented by Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Olohundare, at the 19th annual town hall meeting of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund disclosed that the police recorded 152 murder cases between October 2024 and September 2025.

The command also arrested 9,275 suspected criminals, recovered 518 rounds of ammunition and foiled 141 armed robbery incidents during the period.

Similarly, the European Union Agency for Asylum, in its January 2026 report on Nigeria’s security situation, cited Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) figures showing that Lagos State recorded 185 security incidents between January 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025, resulting in 150 fatalities.

Of the incidents, 98 were classified as battles, most involving cult groups, while 40 were recorded as riots and 47 as violence against civilians.

These figures provide additional context for understanding the security concerns surrounding Lagos, although they measure recorded incidents and fatalities rather than the public perceptions captured by Numbeo.

Numbeo explained that its Crime Index is calculated using responses from website visitors who assess crime levels, personal safety and concerns about specific offences.

The questions cover experiences and perceptions relating to burglary, theft, vandalism, mugging, robbery, car theft, physical attacks, public harassment and violent crime.

The platform said individual responses are assigned numerical values ranging from -2, representing a strongly negative perception, to +2, representing a strongly positive perception, before being converted to a scale of zero to 100.

It also said its data undergo spam filtering to remove suspicious submissions, while cities must meet minimum participation requirements before being included in the assessment.

Numbeo’s current index draws on information collected over the preceding five years and is updated continuously. Its semi-annual rankings provide snapshots based on the available submissions at particular periods.

However, the platform cautioned against interpreting its findings as official crime statistics.

“Numbeo’s Crime Index is based on user-contributed perceptions, which may differ from official government statistics,” the platform explained.

There is also a difference worth noting in the published rankings. While the PUNCH report identifies Lagos as 27th, Numbeo’s published 2026 city ranking currently places it 28th, with a score of 68.8.

Its continuously updated index records a score of 69.1 and also places Lagos 28th. Such differences underline the importance of identifying the particular index edition and date when quoting the ranking.

The distinction is important because public perception of crime does not always correspond directly with recorded offences. Fear of robbery, insecurity at night and concerns about personal safety can influence survey responses even where official crime figures tell a different story.

Nevertheless, the findings add to the continuing conversation about security in Lagos, where residents, businesses and visitors depend on effective policing and safer public spaces.

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For a city that serves as Nigeria’s economic centre and attracts millions of people for business, employment and investment, public confidence in security remains an important part of its development.