ISLAMABAD: Islamabad has topped Pakistan’s safety rankings in the newly released Numbeo Crime Index 2026 Mid-Year report, posting the lowest Crime Index score among the country’s major cities. Lahore secured the second spot, and both cities recorded lower Crime Index scores than several internationally prominent cities, including London, Paris, New York, and Toronto.
Key Takeaways
- Islamabad recorded a Crime Index of 30.8, the lowest among Pakistan’s major cities and placing it in Numbeo’s “low crime” band.
- Lahore followed at 36.2, also within the low-crime range, ahead of Rawalpindi (52.0) and Karachi (57.6).
- Islamabad and Lahore both scored lower — indicating safer perceptions — than 18 major global cities, including London, Paris, New York, Washington, and Toronto.
- The rankings draw on crowd-sourced perception surveys covering more than 400 cities worldwide.
- Numbeo’s index reflects public perception of crime, not official police-recorded statistics.
Pakistan’s Four Major Cities, Ranked
Numbeo’s Mid-Year 2026 update placed Islamabad and Lahore firmly in the “low crime” category, while Rawalpindi and Karachi landed in the “moderate crime” range on the same 0-to-100 scale.
| Rank | City | Crime Index | Safety Index | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Islamabad | 30.8 | 69.2 | Low |
| 2 | Lahore | 36.2 | 63.8 | Low |
| 3 | Rawalpindi | 52.0 | 48.0 | Moderate |
| 4 | Karachi | 57.6 | 42.4 | Moderate |
The Safety Index is simply 100 minus the Crime Index — a higher number means residents and visitors reported feeling safer.
How Islamabad and Lahore Stack Up Against Major World Cities
What stands out in this cycle’s report is how Islamabad and Lahore compare internationally. Both cities posted lower Crime Index readings than 18 cities that are far bigger and more globally recognized — a list that spans North America, Europe, the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia.
| City | Country | Crime Index |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | 66.8 |
| Dhaka | Bangladesh | 62.2 |
| Washington, D.C. | United States | 59.8 |
| Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 59.1 |
| New Delhi | India | 59.1 |
| Paris | France | 58.0 |
| Tehran | Iran | 57.3 |
| London | United Kingdom | 55.6 |
| Los Angeles | United States | 54.1 |
| Jakarta | Indonesia | 52.8 |
| New York | United States | 51.1 |
| Cairo | Egypt | 50.0 |
| Istanbul | Turkey | 48.0 |
| Rome | Italy | 47.3 |
| Berlin | Germany | 44.5 |
| Mumbai | India | 44.1 |
| Toronto | Canada | 43.5 |
| Bangkok | Thailand | 38.2 |
| Lahore | Pakistan | 36.2 |
| Islamabad | Pakistan | 30.8 |
Even Bangkok, the nearest-scoring city on the list, still came in above Lahore’s reading — meaning every one of the 18 comparison cities recorded a higher (less favorable) Crime Index than either Pakistani city.
What the Numbeo Crime Index Actually Measures
It’s worth being clear about what this ranking does and doesn’t capture. The Numbeo Crime Index is built entirely from user-submitted perception surveys rather than official police or government crime data. Contributors are asked about:
- How much crime they believe occurs in their city overall
- How safe they feel walking alone, both during the day and after dark
- Their level of concern about specific offenses such as robbery, theft, and assault
- Their perception of property crime and violent crime in their area
- Their sense of how much corruption affects daily life locally
These responses are combined into a single score between 0 and 100 for each city. Numbeo groups the results into five bands:
| Score Range | Category |
|---|---|
| Below 20 | Very Low |
| 20 to 40 | Low |
| 40 to 60 | Moderate |
| 60 to 80 | High |
| Above 80 | Very High |
Because the index tracks how safe people feel rather than how much crime is officially recorded, it’s best read as a snapshot of public sentiment rather than a substitute for crime statistics from law enforcement agencies. Numbeo updates its database continuously as new survey responses come in, with a Mid-Year edition and a full-year edition published in each calendar year across more than 400 cities globally.
The Takeaway
For a Mid-Year update, this is a strong showing for Pakistan’s two largest northern cities. Islamabad and Lahore both edged out several G20 capitals and major metropolitan centers on this particular measure. As with any perception-based survey, it’s worth reading the result alongside other safety and crime data before drawing broader conclusions — but on Numbeo’s scale, at least, Pakistan’s capital currently ranks among the more reassuring places in the sample.
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