Living and costs

Is Argentina safe to live in? Crime data, advisories and risks

By Nico F. · Updated October 14, 2026

General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules, exchange rates and prices change and every case has its own details. Before you pay, sign or apply for residency, check the current rules with an Argentine notary (escribano), lawyer or accountant.

Quick answer Official data show a falling homicide rate; advisories center on petty theft, phone and bag snatching and armed robbery ("Armed robberies are a risk", UK). The national intentional-homicide rate was 3.6 per 100,000 in 2025, down 7.3% from 2024 (SNIC, Ministry of Security); the City of Buenos Aires reported a preliminary 2.5. As of October 14, 2026, Canada rates the country "Take normal security precautions (with regional advisories)", including "Exercise a high degree of caution" in Greater Buenos Aires and Rosario; Australia is at normal precautions with Rosario flagged; the UK names districts; the US is reported at Level 1 (July 2026). The figures published do not support ranking cities or neighborhoods.

Terms used: SNIC (Sistema Nacional de Información Criminal) is the national crime statistics system of the Ministry of Security. A hurto is theft without violence, a robo is theft with force or violence, and a comuna is one of the City of Buenos Aires's administrative districts. A piquete is a road blockade. An escribano is a notary.

What do the official crime numbers say?

The SNIC reports an intentional-homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people for 2025, which is 7.3% below 2024, 18.5% below 2023 and 14.8% below 2022. The same page records that the UNODC Centro de Excelencia graded the statistical quality of the SNIC "A" (statement dated May 15, 2026). According to El Observador, summarizing the report presented on June 1, 2026, there were 1,676 homicide victims and the rate was the lowest in the SNIC series.

Homicide is the best-recorded category. For most other crimes, Chequeado notes that official statistics substantially under-record what happens. The latest national victimization survey (INDEC and the Ministry of Security, fieldwork in 2017, reference year 2016, adults in urban localities of 5,000 or more inhabitants) found that 19.9% of people 18 and over were victims of at least one crime against the person, 78.1% of those crimes took place on the street or on public transport, and 66.3% were not reported. The survey is nine years old and shows a pattern (theft in public space, mostly unreported), not today's levels. In the City's own 2021 survey, 78% of robbery victims had lost a mobile phone.

What do the Buenos Aires City figures show?

The City government publishes the Mapa del Delito (crime map) each year. The 2025 figures below are preliminary, from the City's press document, and will be revised when the final dataset is posted. They are the City's own counts, not SNIC values.

Category 2025 2024 Change
Homicides 78 (2.5 per 100,000) 80 -3%
Robberies (all) 50,069 68,392 -27%
Robberies with weapons 5,566 8,445 -34%
Robberies with motorbikes 5,587 5,758 -3%
Thefts without violence (hurtos) 49,641 62,771 -21%

The document describes the homicide count as the lowest since 1995. Of the 78 homicides, 21 were fights or revenge, 14 happened on the occasion of a robbery, 10 were family violence and 8 were femicides. Robberies with motorbikes, the category the advisories flag for phone and bag snatching, fell the least of the three robbery categories in the table (-3%, against -34% for armed robberies and -27% for all robberies). The City also says hurtos depend on victims filing a report to be recorded.

How much did robbery fall nationally?

Two published readings give different levels.

Base years, data status and definitions (including whether attempted offenses are counted) differ between the two. Both show a fall. Neither measures how likely a visitor is to be robbed, because both count police records, which depend on victims reporting.

What do the travel advisories say?

Read the current text on each government's page before relying on a summary.

Government Overall Specific places Date
United States Level 1, "Exercise Normal Precautions" (as reported) Rosario no longer named as a specific higher-risk area (as reported) July 2026 (issued July 10; announced by the embassy about July 17)
United Kingdom (FCDO) No tier system "In Santa Fe, be particularly cautious in Rosario"; "In Mendoza, be particularly cautious downtown"; named Buenos Aires districts Latest update May 7, 2026; read October 14, 2026
Canada "Take normal security precautions (with regional advisories)" Greater Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires: "Exercise a high degree of caution" due to crime, including petty crime and muggings; Rosario: "Exercise a high degree of caution" due to an increase in homicides linked to drug-related organized crime Updated August 11, 2026
Australia "Exercise normal safety precautions" "Exercise a high degree of caution in Rosario due to the threat of crime and violence" Updated July 21, 2026

The US level is as reported by Argentine press quoting the US Embassy (Perfil, Canal 26), which says the update removes Rosario as a specific higher-risk area; the State Department text is on travel.state.gov. Of the UK, Canada and Australia, only Canada applies its higher caution level to the Greater Buenos Aires area.

Which crimes do foreigners meet?

The advisories name situations and places, and they do not rank them by risk.

Risk What the advisories say
Pickpocketing UK: thieves operate on public transport and at bus and train terminals. Australia: take care in tourist areas and crowded places.
Phone and bag snatching UK: thieves on motorbikes can snatch bags from pedestrians. Canada: purse and cell phone snatching occurs regularly.
Distraction scams UK: a thief sprays mustard on you while an accomplice pretends to help and takes your bags; refuse help firmly and walk away.
Armed robbery UK: armed robberies are a risk. The UK, Canada and Australia advise handing over valuables without resistance.
Taxis and cash Canada: drivers sometimes swap counterfeit bills for good ones, so pay with exact change. Australia: crime also occurs in taxis.
ATMs Canada and Australia: use ATMs in banks, hotels, supermarkets or shopping centers, and avoid them after dark.
Theft from vehicles UK: from unattended vehicles, especially rental cars, "frequently in Bariloche, but can happen across the country".
Drink spiking UK: do not leave drinks unattended or accept food or drink from strangers. A US Embassy alert of August 2024 also advised caution before inviting people back to your residence (Buenos Aires Herald).
Express kidnapping UK: "occasionally happen". Canada: "not common", with victims typically held for a few hours and forced to withdraw cash. The advisories give no counts.

Australia names La Boca, San Telmo, Palermo, the Obelisk and Plaza de Mayo; the UK names Palermo, San Telmo, La Boca, Retiro, Florida Street, 9 de Julio, Avenida de Mayo, Avenida Rivadavia near the obelisk and the Retiro bus terminal. Canada adds Constitución and says to stay on Caminito street in La Boca and avoid the area after dark. Advisories name places, not crime rates.

Protests are frequent. The UK says demonstrations can occasionally turn violent, often near Congress and the Casa Rosada, and advises avoiding all protests; piqueteros sometimes block major roads, including routes in and out of Buenos Aires. Canada says never to try to cross a blockade, "even one that looks unattended".

What precautions do the advisories recommend?

The City of Buenos Aires tourism site lists these emergency numbers: 911 general emergencies, 101 police, 100 fire and 107 medical emergencies (SAME ambulances). The UK and Canada write "911 or 101" for police, and Canada gives 911 for medical emergencies outside Buenos Aires, so ask locally which number applies.

Is road traffic a safety risk?

The national road-safety agency (ANSV) is reported to have counted 4,060 road deaths in 2025, 11.1 a day, against 4,027 in 2024. The ANSV preliminary report, as summarized by the press, gives 8.8 deaths per 100,000 for 2025 (8.6 in 2024). The data run to April 2026, are preliminary and partial, and count deaths at the scene or within 30 days. The summary gives 7.3 per 100,000 for Buenos Aires province (1,281 deaths) and 17.9 for Misiones, the highest provincial rate it lists. Canada warns that some drivers ignore traffic lights, one-way signs and speed limits, and Australia says thieves target cars stopped at traffic lights and when parked, so it advises keeping doors and windows locked when driving.

What natural and health hazards apply?

Hazard Advisory wording or reading
Earthquakes UK: risk "particularly in the provinces of Mendoza, San Juan, Salta and Jujuy". Canada adds Tucumán.
Flash floods UK: "can occur during heavy rains, in provinces including Buenos Aires"; many northern provinces flood occasionally.
Wildfires UK: "can occur throughout Argentina and can spread rapidly", with road closures and poor air quality.
Insect-borne disease Australia: dengue, chikungunya and zika are common in the north and "as far south as Buenos Aires".
Hantavirus UK: present in Argentina. Australia: a continuing risk, including in and around Buenos Aires and northern Patagonia.

The INPRES hazard map, as reported by Infobae on June 25, 2026, puts the highest-hazard band in southern San Juan and northern Mendoza, rates Buenos Aires and Entre Ríos among the areas with very reduced hazard, and says no zone has zero risk. INPRES hazard is not the same as risk; an engineer or the escribano can say whether a building meets seismic code. The UK advisory also names Salta and Jujuy.

Case counts for mosquito-borne and rodent-borne disease change by bulletin, so check the latest Boletín Epidemiológico Nacional. Cadena 3 reported on July 28, 2026, citing it, 69 confirmed dengue cases in the 2025 to 2026 season, none new since epidemiological week 22, and 2,925 confirmed and probable chikungunya cases, 96% in the Northwest. A CDC health update of May 18, 2026 concerned an Andes virus cluster linked to a cruise ship and rates the risk to the American public from that cluster as extremely low; it is not an assessment of travel to Patagonia. Separately, Cadena 3 reported a confirmed hantavirus case in Bariloche in 2026. These are risk notes, not forecasts.

Can one place be called safer than another?

The data supports a few comparisons and no ranking of cities or neighborhoods.

What the data supports. - The City of Buenos Aires reported 2.5 homicides per 100,000 for 2025 against 3.6 nationally. The City figure is its own preliminary count, so the comparison is indicative. - Press readings of the 2025 SNIC provincial table report Santa Fe at 5.6 (4.9 in 2024; victims 208 against 179, up 16%), Buenos Aires province at 4.34 (the City document) or 4.4, Mendoza at 3.1 (El Sol) and Córdoba at about 2.3 to 2.4. Outlets disagree on which province is highest, and some list provinces with lower rates than Córdoba. Provinces are not ranked here. A provincial rate mixes large cities with rural areas, and small provinces have small numerators.

What it does not support. - A ranking of Córdoba, Mendoza, Bariloche or Buenos Aires neighborhoods. The SNIC has no city-level series and provincial rates are not city rates. - A comuna ranking. The City's open-data portal lists homicide, hurto, injury and robo records with date, time and location (dataset updated June 22, 2026), but raw counts are not adjusted for population or foot traffic. - A statement that a neighborhood is safe at night. The official night-time advice is general: the City tourism site advises against poorly lit streets, and Canada against ATMs at night and La Boca after dark.

Rosario is the case with a trend. The Santa Fe public safety observatory (July 2026 report) counted 79 homicide victims in Santa Fe province from January to June 2026, 47 of them in Rosario department, and described the period as the lowest since 2014; a provincial government release gave 73 and 45. Rosario department's first half of 2026 is 31.9% below the first half of 2025 and 68.4% below the first half of 2023, the worst year in the series. These are department figures, not city figures. Separately, Santa Fe province recorded 208 victims in 2025 against 179 in 2024, so 2025 was a rise before the 2026 fall. The UK, Canada and Australia still advise caution in Rosario, and advisory text may predate recent data, so read the date on each.

Indices measure perception or composites. Numbeo is a crowdsourced site that reflects the perceptions of its visitors over five years. Its Argentina page (updated October 12, 2026; 1,626 contributors) shows a crime index of 62.85 and a safety index of 37.15. Its "crime is increasing" score is 78.13, even though recorded homicides and robberies fell, so perception and statistics point different ways. Its Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario and Bariloche pages have 9 to 152 contributors, too few to compare places. The 2026 Global Peace Index places Argentina 72nd of 163 countries (score 1.922); it is a composite country index, not a crime rate.

What does this mean for choosing where to live?

The advisories center on theft in public space. Recorded robberies fell nationally in both readings, and recorded robberies and hurtos fell in the City in 2025, but the latest national victimization survey (reference year 2016) found 66.3% of crimes against the person unreported, so recorded figures do not measure personal risk. The advisories recommend specific habits (phone handling, marked taxis, ATMs in banks) and name areas and hours for care; seismic and fire hazard vary by region. Cities are compared on climate, healthcare and hazards in best places to live in Argentina; costs are in cost of living in Buenos Aires and cost of living in Argentina. A buyer weighing a neighborhood can read buying an apartment in Buenos Aires as a foreigner. Routines are in daily life in Argentina and trade-offs in pros and cons of living in Argentina.

Figures and advisories are as of October 14, 2026. This is not security advice for a particular address; local police, your consulate and a local lawyer or insurer can answer specific questions.

See also: Argentina expat guide, retire in Argentina, how to move to Argentina from the US.

Sources

Argentina updates

Rule changes, prices and new guides for buying property and living in Argentina. No fixed schedule.