Drummondville had the highest Crime Severity Index of any Quebec metro area in 2025, at 72.3, followed by Montréal at 61.3 and Gatineau at 60.6, according to Statistics Canada. All seven Quebec census metropolitan areas were still below the national CSI of 75.0, so even Quebec’s highest-crime cities rank in the safer half of Canada.
Data: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime statistics for 2025 (released 22 July 2026), Tables 35-10-0026-01 and 35-10-0177-01. Figures are for the whole census metropolitan area (CMA); Gatineau is the Quebec part of the Ottawa–Gatineau CMA. Rankings, long-term changes and comparisons are our own calculation. Updated 12 October 2026.
Key facts
- The Drummondville CMA had a Crime Severity Index of 72.3 in 2025, the highest in Quebec and up 4% from 2024 (Statistics Canada, released 22 July 2026).
- Drummondville was the only Quebec metro area whose CSI rose in 2025; the other six fell.
- Gatineau had Quebec’s highest violent crime rate among the metro areas with published rates: 1,428 per 100,000 in 2025, just under the national 1,443.
- The Montréal CMA recorded 52 homicides in 2025, a rate of 1.12 per 100,000, below the national 1.61.
- Quebec’s provincial CSI was 61.6, down 5%, and its crime rate of 3,673 per 100,000 was the lowest of the 10 provinces.
What is the most dangerous city in Quebec?
Drummondville was the Quebec metro area with the highest crime severity in 2025, with a Crime Severity Index of 72.3 and a crime rate of 4,084 incidents per 100,000 people, according to Statistics Canada. Its CSI was still about 4% below the Canadian figure of 75.0 (our calculation), so “most dangerous” here means highest within a low-crime province.
The Crime Severity Index (CSI) is a Statistics Canada measure of police-reported crime that gives more weight to serious offences (Canada 2006 = 100). The crime rate counts all Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic, per 100,000 people. Our Crime Severity Index explainer shows how the two differ.
| Rank | Quebec metro area (CMA) | Crime Severity Index (2025) | CSI change vs 2024 | Crime rate per 100,000 (2025) | Rate change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drummondville | 72.3 | +4% | 4,084 | 0% |
| 2 | Montréal | 61.3 | −5% | 3,641 | −5% |
| 3 | Gatineau (Que. part) | 60.6 | −2% | 3,700 | −2% |
| 4 | Trois-Rivières | 56.0 | −10% | 3,417 | −3% |
| 5 | Québec | 55.0 | −1% | 3,493 | −3% |
| 6 | Sherbrooke | 50.3 | −7% | 3,134 | −5% |
| 7 | Saguenay | 49.3 | −13% | 2,973 | −13% |
| — | Quebec (province) | 61.6 | −5% | 3,673 | −4% |
| — | Canada | 75.0 | −5% | 5,585 | −2% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Tables 35-10-0026-01 and 35-10-0177-01 (2025). Ranked from highest to lowest CSI; the ranking is our own.
The gap between the highest and lowest Quebec metro areas is narrow: Drummondville’s CSI was about 1.5 times Saguenay’s (our calculation). By comparison, in Ontario Thunder Bay’s CSI was about 2.4 times Barrie’s. For the reverse ranking, see the safest cities in Quebec.
Is crime rising in Drummondville?
Drummondville’s Crime Severity Index rose from 59.9 in 2021, the first year it was published for the CMA, to 72.3 in 2025, an increase of about 21% (our calculation from Statistics Canada data). The index peaked at 74.7 in 2023, fell to 69.4 in 2024 and rose 4% in 2025.
Drummondville is a smaller metro area, and Statistics Canada cautions that the CSI in small CMAs can swing sharply from one year to the next. One or two serious incidents can move the index noticeably. Our Drummondville crime rate guide adds the Sûreté du Québec’s local figures for the MRC de Drummond.
Which Quebec city has the most violent crime?
Gatineau had the highest police-reported violent crime rate of the Quebec metro areas with published 2025 rates, at 1,428 incidents per 100,000 people, according to Statistics Canada. Saguenay (1,327), Trois-Rivières (1,326), Québec (1,312) and Montréal (1,277) followed, and Sherbrooke was lowest at 1,023. A comparable violent crime rate for Drummondville is not included in our data set.
| Quebec metro area (CMA) | Violent crime rate per 100,000 (2025) | Homicides (2025) | Robbery rate per 100,000 (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gatineau (Que. part) | 1,428 | 1 | 33 |
| Saguenay | 1,327 | 0 | — |
| Trois-Rivières | 1,326 | — | — |
| Québec | 1,312 | 4 | 20 |
| Montréal | 1,277 | 52 | 68 |
| Sherbrooke | 1,023 | — | — |
| Canada | 1,443 | 672 | 55 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0177-01 (2025). “—” = not in our data set.
Saguenay has Quebec’s lowest overall CSI but a violent crime rate close to Québec’s and Montréal’s: violent incidents made up about 45% of its police-reported crime, compared with about 35% in Montréal (our calculation). Montréal had the highest robbery rate of the Quebec metro areas in our data set, at 68 per 100,000, above the national 55. For the city itself, see is Montréal safe? and the Montréal crime map.
Where is car theft highest in Quebec?
The Montréal CMA had Quebec’s highest motor vehicle theft rate in 2025, at 197 per 100,000 people, down 29% from 277 in 2024, according to Statistics Canada. Trois-Rivières followed at 180, then Gatineau (102), Québec (83) and Sherbrooke (61). The provincial rate fell to 153 from 204, a drop of about 25% (our calculation). The national rate was 201. See car theft in Canada for every metro area.
How has crime in Quebec cities changed over 10 years?
Québec City saw the largest long-term rise in crime severity among Quebec metro areas with data back to 2015, with its CSI rising from 42.2 in 2015 to 55.0 in 2025, about 30% (our calculation from Statistics Canada data). Over the same period:
- Gatineau: 54.0 to 60.6 (+12%)
- Montréal: 61.5 to 61.3 (about unchanged)
- Sherbrooke: 50.2 to 50.3 (about unchanged)
- Trois-Rivières: 57.2 to 56.0 (−2%)
- Saguenay: 53.6 to 49.3 (−8%)
- Quebec (province): 57.0 to 61.6 (+8%), compared with +7% for Canada
More detail for the capital is in is Quebec City safe?, and for the Outaouais in is Gatineau safe?.
How do Quebec’s highest-crime cities compare with the rest of Canada?
Every Quebec metro area had a Crime Severity Index below Canada’s 75.0 in 2025, while 16 of Canada’s 41 metro areas were above it (our count from Statistics Canada data). Drummondville’s 72.3 compares with 134.3 in Chilliwack, the highest in Canada, and 114.1 in Thunder Bay, Ontario’s highest. Quebec’s provincial crime rate was the lowest of the 10 provinces. See the national most dangerous cities in Canada ranking, most dangerous cities in Ontario and crime rate by province.
How do I check crime near an address in Quebec?
- Start with the metro figures in the table above.
- In Montréal, use the SPVM open data. Our Montréal crime report for September 2026 and criminalité à Montréal use it.
- Elsewhere, check your municipal police service or the Sûreté du Québec for local news releases.
- Compare several years, especially in smaller metro areas.
- Read our guide on how to check crime in your neighbourhood.
Want this on your phone?
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Most dangerous cities in Quebec FAQ
What is the most dangerous city in Quebec?
Drummondville had the highest Crime Severity Index of Quebec’s metro areas in 2025, at 72.3, still below the national 75.0.
Is Montréal the most dangerous city in Quebec?
No. Montréal ranked second by CSI in 2025, at 61.3, behind Drummondville. It did have Quebec’s highest car theft rate and, among metro areas with published figures, the highest robbery rate.
Which Quebec city has the highest violent crime rate?
Gatineau, at 1,428 violent incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, among the metro areas with published rates.
Is crime going up in Quebec?
Not overall. Quebec’s CSI fell 5% in 2025 to 61.6, and six of its seven metro areas recorded lower severity than in 2024.
What is the safest city in Quebec?
Saguenay, with a 2025 CSI of 49.3 and the lowest crime rate of any Canadian metro area, 2,973 per 100,000.
Related: safest cities in Quebec · Is Montréal safe? · crime rate in Canada by city · highest crime rate in Canada · Canada Crime Map · criminalité à Québec · Gatineau crime map · Montréal crime by neighbourhood · criminalité à Gatineau · villes les plus dangereuses du Québec (en français) · is Laval safe? · is Longueuil safe? · is Lévis safe?. In an emergency call 911.