Bordeaux steps down from an unenviable podium's top spot. According to the 2026 ranking published by Ville-Data, the Gironde capital ranks 3rd nationally among cities with the highest crime exposure level, among 365 municipalities with over 22,500 residents studied. It comes behind Lyon and Lille, and ahead of Paris, Grenoble and Rouen.
Bordeaux drops to 3rd place in the ranking
With a crime exposure index of 1,179.3, Bordeaux shows a level presented as 128% higher than average according to Ville-Data's calculation method. To establish this result, the website relies on a total severity index of 364,834, compared to an estimated daily population of 298,643 people, versus 267,991 permanent residents.
By taking
given this daily frequency, the crude frequency indicator used by Ville-Data estimates at 1 in 11 the statistical probability of suffering a delinquency act in Bordeaux. A theoretical figure that should not, however, be interpreted as a real individual risk.Lyon dethrones Bordeaux, Lille moves in
The national ranking changes face in 2026. Lyon takes the lead with an index of 1,247.3, ahead of Lille and its 1,208.9 points. Bordeaux completes the podium, followed by Paris, Grenoble, Rouen, Bobigny and Marseille. The Gironde capital thus loses its first place to Lyon, while Lille, 3rd in 2025, climbs to 2nd place.
At the Gironde level, Bordeaux also comes first among the studied municipalities, ahead of Libourne and Lormont. Bègles and Mérignac complete the top 5 of the departmental ranking.
A ranking to be interpreted with caution
Before concluding that Bordeauxx would have become a less safe city, several clarifications are necessary. Ville-Data itself acknowledges the informative and necessarily incomplete nature of its ranking. The data is based on crimes and offenses recorded by police and gendarmerie services, which do not reflect the entirety of crimes committed.
Another point to note: the methodology was modified in 2026. The index is not based solely on the number of offenses relative to residents. It also takes into account their severity and an estimate of the population actually present each day, including notably people passing through.
An important parameter for Bordeaux, whose tourist, student and economic activity attracts daily a population well above that of its residents alone.
This 3rd place does not therefore mean that each Bordelais runs a 128% higher risk of being a victim of an offense. It reflects a level of calculated exposurerated according to statistical criteria specific to Ville-Data, and not an absolute measure of the city's dangerousness.
Source : 2026 Ranking of the Most Dangerous Cities in France – Ville-Data, published in April 2026.