Methodology

In short. The 0 to 100 score summarises crime recorded by the police, per inhabitant. 10.0 = among the lowest rates in the country, 1.0 = among the highest. It is not real time, not a measure of perceived safety and not a judgement on residents.

1. Data

France: SSMSI municipal database (Ministry of the Interior), average of 2023-2025. Netherlands: CBS registered crime per gemeente, 2023-2025. Europe: Eurostat crim_gen_reg by NUTS 3 region, latest year (mostly 2024). Belgium: Eurostat NUTS 3 layer in v1.

2. Rates and smoothing

Each criterion is a yearly rate per 1,000 inhabitants (homicide: per 100,000). Small places are shrunk towards the département (France) or national (Netherlands) average with a weight equal to 1,000 inhabitants over 3 years.

3. Statistical secrecy (France)

When too few offences are recorded, SSMSI publishes an estimate based on comparable municipalities instead of the actual figure. We use it and flag it. Homicides are only published at département level.

4. Score

Each criterion is converted to a national percentile rank. Score (0 to 100, shown to one decimal) = 100 − weighted mean percentile. Default weights: physical violence, sexual violence, violent robbery ×2; homicide, theft, burglary, vehicles, damage ×1; drugs and fraud ×0.5. You can change the weights.

5. Colours

7 equal classes from dark green (best) through yellow and orange to dark red. Grey = no published data.

6. Limits

Outside Europe (Canada, Australia, Argentina…): offence definitions, recording rules and units (CMA, LGA, departamento) differ between countries and sometimes between states; each score is a ranking within the country or state, never a cross-country comparison.
Recorded crime only.
Tourist, shopping and station areas are penalised (offences are divided by residents only).
Countries are not comparable; the European layer is indicative.

7. What we do not use

No data on origin, nationality, religion or immigration.

0–100 scale (since 31 Oct 2026)

The method (smoothing, national percentile rank, weights, direction: higher = lower recorded rates) is unchanged; only the display scale changed. Score = 100 − weighted mean percentile, shown to one decimal, rounded once. Exact mapping: new = (old − 1) / 9 × 100; old = 1 + 9 × new / 100. Continuous colours: 0 dark red, 20 red, 40 orange, 60 yellow, 80 green, 100 dark green; grey = not published (never 0). The number is always shown next to the colour.

Former score (1.0–10.0)	New score (0–100)
1.0	0.0
2.8	20.0
4.6	40.0
5.5	50.0
6.4	60.0
8.2	80.0
10.0	100.0