How to check how safe a town or neighbourhood really is

Key rules

• Main source: The Interior Ministry's crime portal gives figures by municipality, province and region, updated quarterly.
• Regional police: Catalonia and the Basque Country publish their own figures, so look there for those regions.
• Tourist towns: Rates divide by registered residents, so places with many visitors look worse than they feel.
• Unreported crime: Official figures count only reported crime, so use trends and your own visit as well.

Start with the official figures

The Interior Ministry's crime statistics portal is the main place to look. It gives figures by municipality, province and region. Municipal figures cover provincial capitals and municipalities above a set population size, so a small village may not appear. You can read the tables online or download them as Excel or CSV files.

New figures come out every quarter in a crime balance, with a yearly report and more detailed yearbooks. Check the portal for the exact coverage and the latest release.

Catalonia and the Basque Country are separate

These two regions have their own police forces, and they publish their own figures. Look for the Mossos d'Esquadra data in Catalonia and the Ertzaintza data in the Basque Country. Catalan figures are split by region, police area and municipality. Basque figures are split by territory and municipality.

Some big cities add their own detail. Barcelona publishes security data and a resident security survey. Madrid publishes municipal police activity and city crime figures on its open-data portal, with some detail by district. The list of sources below shows where to start.

Read the numbers with care

A crime rate divides recorded crimes by registered residents. That causes three problems.

• Tourist places look worse than they feel. In Barcelona, Palma, Benidorm or Ibiza, many victims are visitors who are not counted as residents. The rate is inflated. A small town with many seasonal visitors can look much worse than it is.
• Only reported crime is counted. Many minor thefts and frauds are never reported. Victimisation surveys show this gap.
• A rise does not always mean more crime. It can come from easier reporting, such as online reporting, or from changes in how crimes are categorised.

So compare trends over several periods, and compare similar places. Do not rely on one number. Do not compare raw figures between countries or between police forces, because their definitions differ.

Look at the type of crime too. Pickpocketing in a tourist centre is a different risk from burglary in a quiet residential street. Work out which one matters to you.

Check the street yourself

Figures describe a whole municipality. They say little about one street. Visit at different times, including after dark, and talk to neighbours and local shop staff. Ask the landlord or agent about past break-ins in the building. The checklist below covers what to look at on the home and the street.

If you want a single district of a large city, check whether the city publishes district detail. See the FAQ below.

Checking a street's safety before you rent or buy there

• Check which floor the home is on, and whether a terrace or window can be reached from the street or a roof.

• Look for grilles (rejas) on windows and patio doors.

• Check the front door is a reinforced security door (puerta blindada) with good locks.

• Test whether the street door closes properly and whether it looks easy to force, and note if there is a doorman (portero) or entry system.

• Look at the lighting in the street, entrance, garage and stairwells, ideally on a visit after dark.

• Look for damaged locks or doors that could be signs of past break-ins.

• Ask whether there is an alarm or alarm contract.

• Check that the garage and storage rooms are secure.

• Note the upkeep of the building and any empty or abandoned units nearby.

• Ask neighbours and the community administrator about past burglaries.

• Look up the town's recorded crime figures in the Interior Ministry's crime statistics portal, searching by municipality.

• If the home is isolated or rural, ask the local Guardia Civil post about current theft patterns and check for an alarm, cameras and locked storage for tools and fuel.

Official sources for local crime figures in Spain

• Interior Ministry (Secretaría de Estado de Seguridad): Use the crime statistics portal for figures by municipality, province and region, as interactive tables you can download as Excel or CSV. The quarterly Balance de Criminalidad and an annual report are published there too.

• Catalan government's Interior Department (Mossos d'Esquadra): Look up quarterly and annual crime balances for Catalonia by region, police area and municipality.

• Basque Government's Security Department (Ertzaintza): Look up Basque crime statistics by territory and municipality.

• Barcelona city council (Guàrdia Urbana): Find city security data, the Enquesta de Seguretat (security survey) and security committee reports.

• Madrid city council (Policía Municipal): Find municipal police activity data and city crime figures through the city's open-data portal and local security board.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get figures for a single district of a big city?

Yes, some cities such as Madrid and Barcelona publish detail by district, though the national portal mainly covers whole municipalities. Look at the city council's own security or open-data pages, which usually report offences by quarter.

Why does a tourist town look more dangerous than it feels?

Tourist towns look worse because the rate divides recorded crimes by registered residents only, while many victims are visitors. Places like Benidorm, Ibiza or Palma can look much worse than daily life there is. Small towns with big summer populations show the same effect.

Does a rise in recorded crime mean a place is getting more dangerous?

Not necessarily, because a rise can come from more people reporting, for example online, or from changes in the categories used. Many minor thefts and frauds are never reported at all. Compare trends over several periods rather than relying on a single number.

Are Catalonia and the Basque Country covered by the national figures?

Only partly, because Catalonia and the Basque Country have their own police forces that publish separate statistics. For those regions, check the Mossos d'Esquadra or Ertzaintza figures by municipality alongside the national data.