REVEALED: The Italian cities with the highest crime rates
From vehicle theft and home burglary to cyber fraud and blackmail, Italy’s latest figures reveal where in the country you are most likely to be a victim of crime.
While Italy is among the safest countries in the world – it ranked 32nd out of 163 in the latest Global Peace Index report by the Institute for Economics and Peace – crime is still a concern, especially in metropolitan cities and tourist hotspots.
According to a report from newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore collating the most recent data from Italy’s Department of Public Security, Milan was once again the country’s ‘crime capital’ in 2022, with the city also registering a marked year-on-year uptick in reported offences.
Altogether, some 225,000 crimes were reported in the northern metropolis last year, which was equivalent to some 6,990 reports every 100,000 residents, up by over 1,000 against 2021 (5,985).
Milan was followed in the national top three by Rimini, a popular seaside resort on Emilia Romagna’s Adriatic coast, and Rome.
Much like Milan, the capital also saw a notable year-on-year increase in crime as the number of reported offences went from 205,050 in 2021 to 231,290 in 2022, which was equivalent to nearly 5,500 reports every 100,000 residents.
Milan, Lombardy, is Italy's 'crime capital', followed by Rimini and Roma. Image: Il Sole 24 Ore
The national top ten was then completed by Bologna, Florence, Turin, Imperia, Livorno, Prato and Naples.
Single-offence rankings
While the overall crime rate ranking provides a picture of Italy's major crime hotspots, it doesn’t provide any insight into the types of offences committed locally, which is why it is worth looking into single-offence rankings.
In 2022, Milan, Rimini and Rome were once again the top three Italian cities with respect to theft-related offences, with the northern city registering nearly 3,900 reported thefts every 100,000 residents and the capital stopping just shy of the 3,000 mark.
Milan was also Italy’s robbery capital (over 4,100 offences reported over 12 months), followed by Naples and Rimini.
The Italian provinces with the higher crime rates are largely concentrated in the north and centre of the country. Image: Il Sole 24 Ore
Outside of big cities and popular tourist destinations, a number of smaller and, perhaps, slightly unassuming Italian cities had their own crime ‘specialisations’ in 2022.
READ ALSO: What happens when a foreign national gets arrested in Italy?
For instance, Pisa, Tuscany, ranked first in reported home burglary offences, whereas Puglia’s Barletta-Andria-Trani province was the country’s vehicle theft leader.
Further, Imperia, Liguria, was the worst Italian city for sexual violence with as many as 23.5 reported crimes per 100,000 residents, whereas Crotone ranked first for attempted murder and arson.
Finally, Turin came in first for cyber fraud and online scams, while Livorno, Tuscany, was Italy’s extortion capital.
National picture
While Italy’s two largest cities, Milan and Rome, both saw marked upticks in crime in 2022, the nationwide number of reported offences was still lower than in 2021, 2020 and 2019.
It also bears pointing out that, while some crime categories (chiefly, snatch thefts, street robberies and extortion) registered notable national and local increases last year, an “upswing in predatory crimes” was “inevitable” after the end of pandemic-related restrictions, according to Stefano Delfini, Senior Director of Italy’s State Police.
READ ALSO: Guardia di Finanza to Carabinieri – who does what in the Italian police force?
That said, preliminary data relative to the first six months of 2023 show some alarming trends when compared to the first semester of 2019, when no Covid restrictions were in place.
Relevant upward and downward trends emerging from the comparison of the first semester of 2023 with the first semester of 2019. Image: Il Sole 24 Ore
In particular, while the number of laundering, counterfeiting and drug trafficking crimes saw a significant drop, sexual violence and street robbery offences increased by 18.1 percent and 24.6 percent respectively.
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While Italy is among the safest countries in the world – it ranked 32nd out of 163 in the latest Global Peace Index report by the Institute for Economics and Peace – crime is still a concern, especially in metropolitan cities and tourist hotspots.
According to a report from newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore collating the most recent data from Italy’s Department of Public Security, Milan was once again the country’s ‘crime capital’ in 2022, with the city also registering a marked year-on-year uptick in reported offences.
Altogether, some 225,000 crimes were reported in the northern metropolis last year, which was equivalent to some 6,990 reports every 100,000 residents, up by over 1,000 against 2021 (5,985).
Milan was followed in the national top three by Rimini, a popular seaside resort on Emilia Romagna’s Adriatic coast, and Rome.
Much like Milan, the capital also saw a notable year-on-year increase in crime as the number of reported offences went from 205,050 in 2021 to 231,290 in 2022, which was equivalent to nearly 5,500 reports every 100,000 residents.
The national top ten was then completed by Bologna, Florence, Turin, Imperia, Livorno, Prato and Naples.
Single-offence rankings
While the overall crime rate ranking provides a picture of Italy's major crime hotspots, it doesn’t provide any insight into the types of offences committed locally, which is why it is worth looking into single-offence rankings.
In 2022, Milan, Rimini and Rome were once again the top three Italian cities with respect to theft-related offences, with the northern city registering nearly 3,900 reported thefts every 100,000 residents and the capital stopping just shy of the 3,000 mark.
Milan was also Italy’s robbery capital (over 4,100 offences reported over 12 months), followed by Naples and Rimini.
Outside of big cities and popular tourist destinations, a number of smaller and, perhaps, slightly unassuming Italian cities had their own crime ‘specialisations’ in 2022.
READ ALSO: What happens when a foreign national gets arrested in Italy?
For instance, Pisa, Tuscany, ranked first in reported home burglary offences, whereas Puglia’s Barletta-Andria-Trani province was the country’s vehicle theft leader.
Further, Imperia, Liguria, was the worst Italian city for sexual violence with as many as 23.5 reported crimes per 100,000 residents, whereas Crotone ranked first for attempted murder and arson.
Finally, Turin came in first for cyber fraud and online scams, while Livorno, Tuscany, was Italy’s extortion capital.
National picture
While Italy’s two largest cities, Milan and Rome, both saw marked upticks in crime in 2022, the nationwide number of reported offences was still lower than in 2021, 2020 and 2019.
It also bears pointing out that, while some crime categories (chiefly, snatch thefts, street robberies and extortion) registered notable national and local increases last year, an “upswing in predatory crimes” was “inevitable” after the end of pandemic-related restrictions, according to Stefano Delfini, Senior Director of Italy’s State Police.
READ ALSO: Guardia di Finanza to Carabinieri – who does what in the Italian police force?
That said, preliminary data relative to the first six months of 2023 show some alarming trends when compared to the first semester of 2019, when no Covid restrictions were in place.
In particular, while the number of laundering, counterfeiting and drug trafficking crimes saw a significant drop, sexual violence and street robbery offences increased by 18.1 percent and 24.6 percent respectively.
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