Tourists Might Want To Avoid This Unassuming Swedish City On The Danish Border

Sweden is commonly considered one of the most tourist-friendly countries in the world, consistently ranked for having a high quality of life and charming Scandinavian culture. Yet, as with any country, there are certain places that are safer than others, and while Malmö is one of Scandinavia's most eclectic cities with unmatched food, it might be one to avoid. The concerns here are more severe than the expected pickpocketing and petty theft of major cities. Malmö has earned a somewhat dispiriting reputation as a city prone to gang violence and headline-stirring organized crime, with incidents of murder, explosions, and violent attacks garnering global attention in recent years. In a list of European cities by crime index published by Numbeo, Malmö ranked number 15.

The city sits on the southern tip of Sweden, just across the strait from Denmark. So close, in fact, that a bridge connects Malmö and Copenhagen. It's Sweden's third-largest city, and, like its Danish neighbor, it has strong ties to sustainability and a prominent bicycle culture, yet it leans more working-class. Malmö's near location to Denmark (and therefore to the rest of mainland Europe) also makes it convenient for drugs and criminal networks to move internationally, one of the reasons for its high drug-related crime. 

Attacks in the city are often tied to drugs and gangs — in April 2025, for example, an apartment raided by police was found to have stashed both illegal narcotics and grenades, the Sweden Herald reported. Bombings — by grenades or other explosives — are unfortunately frequent occurrences in Malmö, though they're typically tied to gang conflict and rarely target tourists.

It's worth looking at the data related to Malmö's crime a little more astutely, since the numbers don't capture the nuances of the city's crime and its safety compared to other destinations. The overall crime index for Malmö, given by Numbeo, is 55.4 — that's not a crime rate, but rather a relative score that falls into the site's category of "moderate." Numerous well-known travel destinations rank higher than Malmö in terms of danger: Paris, London, and Naples (often considered a dangerous European destination to avoid visiting), to name a few. If you broaden the scope to include cities ranked by crime worldwide, Malmö doesn't appear until position 100, with many American cities, including Memphis and Chicago, ranking much higher.

Beyond the numbers, many residents of Malmö say that life in the city is not nearly as violent as media portrayals might imply. One Swedish Reddit user wrote, "[Crime is] concentrated to certain areas and demographics. Overall for the common folk it's safe unless you walk around alone in parks at 04:00 in the morning." Indeed, it tends to be clustered in certain neighborhoods. 

Rosengård is often regarded as one of the most dangerous and has been identified as "particularly vulnerable" by the Swedish Police Authority. The neighborhood Lindängen is also one that locals suggest steering clear of. As both of these areas are at the outer perimeter of the city, you can stay out of any potential danger while visiting by broadly sticking to the city center. Places like the futuristic-looking harbor district of Västra Hamnen and the beautiful, historic Gamla Staden are generally considered safe and could be worth making the trip to Malmö.