Lille, still in the top three
This is a ranking we’d rather avoid, but that everyone pays attention to: the list of the most dangerous cities in France, published every year by ville-data.com based on official police and gendarmerie data.
And this time, Lille has moved from first to third place, behind Bordeaux and Grenoble. In 2024, the capital of Flanders recorded 21,126 crimes and offenses for a population of 238,695 residents, which means a rate of 88.5 offenses per 1,000 inhabitants. It's a bit better than last year (22,096 reported incidents), but not enough to leave the podium just yet.
Bordeaux dethrones Lille, Grenoble climbs up
The top of the 2025 ranking has slightly changed. Bordeaux takes the lead with a rate of 95 offenses per 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Grenoble (93.9).
Lille now drops to third place, followed by Rouen and Lyon, completing the top 5. It's a symbolic fall, but also a little sign of improvement.
Nuanced figures
This ranking should be taken with a grain of salt: it’s based solely on incidents recorded by law enforcement, without considering the floating population or visitors (and in Lille, we know there are plenty).
In other words: the ranking doesn’t necessarily reflect the “feeling of security” in daily life. And the people of Lille know it: despite its place in this top list, Lille remains a lively, festive city that's often bustling, where the atmosphere often takes precedence over statistics.
And elsewhere?
While Paris drops to 6th place (thanks to the Olympic Games), Nantes has completely left the top 10 to land at 52nd place. A spectacular shift. Conversely, Échirolles (near Grenoble) and Annemasse
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