bordeaux-ville-plus-dangereuse-france

The most dangerous city in France is just 2 hours and 30 minutes from Toulouse, and it's quite a surprise!

undefined undefined 22 juillet 2025 undefined 09h00

undefined undefined 22 juillet 2025 undefined 09h51

The Editor

When you live in a big French city, you often tend to think that it’s filled with dangerous neighborhoods where it’s not safe to hang out in the evening. 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 made public by the police and gendarmerie revealed a ranking of the 366 French cities with over 22,500 inhabitants deemed the most dangerous. While the capital has dropped 3 places in a year, moving out of the top 5 to stand in 6th place, another French city has claimed this year’s top spot for the first time. That city is Bordeaux!


A rigorously compiled ranking

To create this ranking, the study is based on figures from the Ministry of the Interior (which you can find right here), to calculate a crime rate per 1,000 inhabitants. The ranking is established using ten indicators – voluntary assaults, sexual violence, burglaries, vehicle thefts, vandalism… – this ranking excludes this year data related to drug trafficking, as it heavily relies on sporadic police operations. It also doesn’t take into account frauds or drug use. However, it’s important to note that no adjustments are made for tourist flows or seasonal variations. This could disadvantage some cities… while protecting others.


Bordeaux, city of crime?

This year, it's the Port of the Moon that climbs one spot in the rankings, reaching the gold medal. This top position is due to a constant level of crime, particularly driven by non-violent thefts, vandalism, andphysical 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, the Girondine capital recorded 25,220 crimes and offenses for 265,328 residents. This translates to a rate of 95 offenses per 1,000 inhabitants, placing Bordeaux at the top of the cities assessed this year. A sense of i...Security confirmed by many local residents.