Prague ranks among the world's safest cities for tourists—but what if you're a local?

Although many have long regarded the Czech capital as a safe haven, new police statistics paint a slightly different picture.

Thomas Smith

Written by Thomas Smith Published on 29.01.2025 14:00:00 (updated on 29.01.2025) Reading time: 2 minutes

Prague stands out as a remarkably safe destination for tourists and visitors, according to a recent analysis by comparison platform Compare the Market Australia. Out of over 30 surveyed world-popular tourist destinations, including London, Tokyo, and Budapest, the Czech capital is among the world’s safest. However, is the same true for locals? 

The study, which examined the relative frequency of pickpocketing, thefts, and scams across major tourist cities, found that Prague had extremely low incidences of all. For example, Prague records just 2.31 mentions of theft-related concerns per million visitors—far below hotspots like Paris (25 mentions) or Barcelona (17.82).

Overall, the study shows that Prague is the eighth-safest city overall, with cities like Dubai and Shanghai outperforming the Czech capital. On the flipside, Paris was Europe’s most dangerous city for tourists by pickpocketing and scam rates. Barcelona, London, Rome, and Las Vegas in the U.S. rounded off the top five least safe tourist cities.

Do locals feel the same?

However, do residents of Prague enjoy the same levels of safety tourists do? The good news, according to new statistics from Czech Police, is that the country’s crime rate as a whole fell by almost 5 percent nationwide in 2024. Prague still has the highest levels of crime—about 40,000 cases—in the country, though. Which are the most common? 

In the capital, property crime—including fraud—remains the greatest concern, with Prague reporting 25,400 cases. Home burglaries and store thefts are also among the most common offences in the capital. Prague also has a high share of violent crimes, reporting the second-largest number of cases (1,596) behind Moravia-Silesia.

FOREIGNER FOCUS

  • Foreigners make up 12 percent of the total persecuted population in Czechia.
  • The most common reason for foreigners being arrested in 2024 was being under the influence of drugs or excessive alcohol (1,512 cases).
  • Obstructing police or the course of justice was the second most common.
  • The third most common offense was document forgery (975 cases).
  • Negligent road traffic accidents and petty theft round off the top-five most frequent foreigner offences.

The high number of companies and entrepreneurs registered in the capital contributes to a larger share of economic crimes, such as credit fraud and forgery of public documents, according to Czech Police.

On a nationwide level, cybercrime was the most commonly committed offence, constituting 10 percent of all crime. Fraud, including credit fraud and unauthorized access to a computer system, was the second-most common in 2024. This is followed by petty theft and burglary.

Home-burglary-related crimes are also prevalent nationwide, as are motor vehicle thefts (around 10,000 cases). The country also has a notable share of violent crime, with a significant number of dangerous threats (2,072 cases) and extortion (1,559 cases). 

Do you feel safe in Prague?

Yes 93 %
No 4 %
Only sometimes 3 %
566 readers voted on this poll. Voting is open

The country saw 151 murder cases last year—93 of which had been motivated by personal relationships. Rape is relatively common, at around three cases per day on average nationwide, and the country racked up over 750 child pornography charges last year. 

Reported hate crimes have historically been low in the country; in 2024 these crimes were most often directed against Ukrainians (71 crimes) and against Jews (30).

expat tip

Curious to see how much crime there is in your area, regardless of which city or town you live in? Check out this interactive map by the Czech police, which lets you see detailed crime rates, including the types of offenses and dates of occurrence.

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