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Here is the most dangerous city in France, and it's quite a surprise!

undefined undefined 22 juillet 2025 undefined 09h00

The Editor

When you live in a big French city, you often tend to think that it’s full of dangerous neighborhoods where it's not a good idea to hang out at night. However, this new study reveals that the least welcoming city in France is actually much farther away, in the southwest of the Hexagon.

In April 2025, data released by the police and gendarmerie helped create a ranking of the 366 French cities with more than 22,500 inhabitants that are considered the most dangerous. While the capital has dropped 3 places in a year, moving out of the top 5 to take the 6th spot, another French city has claimed the title this year, taking home the top spot for the first time. It’s Bordeaux!


A Strict Ranking

To develop this ranking, the study relies on the figures from the Ministry of the Interior (you can find them right here), calculating a crime rate per 1,000 inhabitants. This is based on ten indicators – including intentional injuries, sexual violence, burglary, vehicle thefts, vandalism… – this ranking omits data related to drug trafficking this year, as it heavily relies on one-off police operations. It also doesn't consider scams or drug use. However, it's worth noting that no adjustments are made for tourist traffic or seasonal variations. This can impact some cities… while shielding others.


Bordeaux, a city of crime ?

This year, it's the Port of the Moon that climbs one spot in the rankings, achieving the gold medal. This top position is due to a steady rise in crime, particularly driven by non-violent thefts, vandalism, and physical violence, while other major cities see their numbers decrease. For comparison, Lille, the former number one, has slipped to third place with a rate of 88.5 per thousand. In 2024, in total, the Girondine capital recorded 25,220 crimes and offenses for 265,328 inhabitants. That's a rate of 95 offenses per 1,000 inhabitants, placing Bordeaux at the top of the cities evaluated this year. A feeling of i .security confirmed by many locals.