Chilliwack, B.C. is the most dangerous city in Canada by police-reported crime: its metro area had a Crime Severity Index (CSI) of 134.3 in 2025, the highest of Canada’s 41 census metropolitan areas and about 1.8 times the national 75.0. Chilliwack also had the highest crime rate, 11,455 incidents per 100,000 people, roughly double the national 5,585. Kamloops (126.2), Red Deer (114.4), Thunder Bay (114.1) and Winnipeg (113.4) complete the top five.
Data: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime statistics for 2025 (released 22 July 2026), Crime Severity Index and incident-based crime tables. Figures are for the whole census metropolitan area (CMA) unless stated. Ratios, ranks and percentages that are not in the release are our own arithmetic. Updated 5 October 2026.
What are the 10 most dangerous cities in Canada?
The ranking below sorts Canada’s 41 census metropolitan areas by their 2025 Crime Severity Index. The CSI weights each offence by how serious it is, so a homicide or robbery counts for far more than a minor theft. The national CSI is 75.0.
We also show the crime rate (Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic, per 100,000 people) and the violent crime rate, because the three measures do not always move together.
| Rank | Metro area (CMA) | Province | CSI 2025 | CSI change vs 2024 | Crime rate per 100k | Violent crime rate per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chilliwack | B.C. | 134.3 | -4% | 11,455 | 2,723 |
| 2 | Kamloops | B.C. | 126.2 | -4% | 10,949 | 2,224 |
| 3 | Red Deer | Alberta | 114.4 | -3% | 10,592 | 2,154 |
| 4 | Thunder Bay | Ontario | 114.1 | +3% | 8,373 | 2,249 |
| 5 | Winnipeg | Manitoba | 113.4 | -9% | 7,899 | 1,635 |
| 6 | Lethbridge | Alberta | 107.7 | +2% | 8,335 | 2,108 |
| 7 | Nanaimo | B.C. | 106.0 | -1% | 9,648 | 2,100 |
| 8 | Moncton | New Brunswick | 105.6 | +11% | 7,561 | 1,909 |
| 9 | Kelowna | B.C. | 103.7 | -4% | 8,688 | 1,872 |
| 10 | Saskatoon | Saskatchewan | 98.9 | -7% | 7,532 | 1,439 |
| – | Canada | – | 75.0 | -5% | 5,585 | 1,443 |
Four of the top 10 are in British Columbia, two in Alberta and one each in Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. Just outside the top 10 are Edmonton (95.6), Abbotsford–Mission (95.5) and Regina (87.4).
Where Statistics Canada publishes a violent Crime Severity Index for these metros, the gap is wider still: Thunder Bay’s violent CSI was 195.14, Winnipeg’s 170.06 and Saskatoon’s 130.64, against 97.19 for Canada as a whole.
Which city has the highest crime rate in Canada?
Chilliwack, with 11,455 police-reported incidents per 100,000 people in 2025. Kamloops (10,949) and Red Deer (10,592) are the only other metro areas above 10,000. Nanaimo (9,648) ranks fourth on crime rate, even though it is seventh on severity.
Chilliwack also had the highest violent crime rate of any metro area, 2,723 per 100,000, about 1.9 times the national 1,443 (our arithmetic). Thunder Bay recorded 8 homicides, a rate of 6.06 per 100,000, compared with 1.61 nationally.
The lowest crime rate was in Saguenay, Quebec, at 2,973, so the gap between the top and bottom of the table is almost fourfold.
What does “most dangerous” really mean?
These rankings describe crime that was reported to and recorded by police. They do not measure how likely any one person is to be harmed, and Statistics Canada itself cautions that the CSI is not a universal indicator of safety.
- Reported, not total, crime. In 2019 only about 29% of victimizations were reported to police. Reporting habits can differ between places.
- Metro area, not city centre. A CMA includes surrounding towns and rural areas. Crime is usually concentrated in busy downtown, shopping, nightlife and transit areas, not spread evenly.
- Severity versus volume. A city can rank high on the CSI because of a few serious offences, or high on the crime rate because of many minor thefts and mischief.
- Incidents, not people. Police data counts incidents. It says nothing about who lives in a neighbourhood, and should never be read that way.
Why do smaller cities top the list?
Most of the top 10 are smaller regional centres rather than Canada’s largest metros. In smaller places, a modest change in the number of serious incidents moves the index a lot, and Statistics Canada notes that small CMAs swing more from year to year.
The CSI histories show this clearly:
- Kamloops rose to 165.29 in 2023, then fell to 126.22 in 2025, a drop of about 24% in two years.
- Chilliwack went from 126.08 in 2022 to 158.09 in 2023 and back down to 134.27 in 2025.
- Red Deer fell from 174.16 in 2021 to 114.36 in 2025, about 34% lower.
Regional centres can also serve as the shopping, service and transport hub for a much wider area, so incidents involving visitors are counted against a smaller resident population. That is one reason a single year’s rank should be treated with caution.
Is crime going up or down in these cities?
Mostly down. Seven of the 10 recorded a lower CSI in 2025 than in 2024, in line with the national drop of 5%. Winnipeg fell 9% and Saskatoon 7%. Winnipeg’s CSI of 113.4 is about 17% below its 2022 level of 136.66.
Three moved the other way. Moncton’s CSI rose 11%, Thunder Bay’s 3% and Lethbridge’s 2%. Thunder Bay stands out: its crime rate jumped 18% and its CSI has climbed from 80.09 in 2015 to 114.13 in 2025, a rise of about 42%. Its police-reported shoplifting rate more than doubled in a year, from 1,277 to 2,726 per 100,000.
How do Canada’s biggest cities compare?
None of the six largest metros makes the top 10. Edmonton is closest, 11th at 95.6. Vancouver (83.5) is above the national average; Calgary (61.7), Montréal (61.3), Toronto (55.0) and Ottawa (50.6) are all well below it.
The lowest CSI of any metro area in 2025 was Barrie, Ontario, at 46.9. Our safest cities in Canada guide covers the other end of the table.
How do I check crime near a specific address?
A city-wide ranking is only a starting point. Before you rent, buy or book, look at the street you care about.
- Use the official police map or open data. Many services publish them, for example the Winnipeg Police Service (winnipeg.ca/police), Saskatoon Police (saskatoonpolice.ca) and Edmonton’s neighbourhood crime mapping (edmontonpolice.ca).
- Check our Canada crime map for city-level figures as they are added.
- Compare two areas the same way, using the same period and the same type of crime, rather than one raw total against another.
- Read the limits. Locations on police maps are often generalized to a block or intersection, and unreported crime does not appear at all.
Want this on your phone?
Safety App Canada puts official crime data on a live map, plans walking routes that avoid high-risk areas and sends one-tap SOS alerts to the people you trust. Coming soon to Android and iPhone.
Most dangerous cities in Canada FAQ
What is the most dangerous city in Canada?
By the 2025 Crime Severity Index, Chilliwack, B.C. (134.3), followed by Kamloops (126.2) and Red Deer (114.4). The national CSI is 75.0.
What is the most dangerous big city in Canada?
Among Canada’s six largest metro areas, Edmonton has the highest CSI at 95.6, down 7% from 2024. Winnipeg, which is not one of the six, is higher at 113.4.
Which city has the highest violent crime in Canada?
Chilliwack had the highest violent crime rate, 2,723 per 100,000. Of the metros whose violent CSI we list, Thunder Bay’s 195.14 is the highest.
Is crime in Canada going down?
Yes, on the main measure. The national CSI fell 5% to 75.0 in 2025, the second yearly decline in a row, and the homicide rate dropped 16% to 1.61 per 100,000.
Are these cities unsafe to visit?
Not as a rule. The figures are averages for a whole metro area. Most residents and visitors are never victims of crime, and risk varies a lot by street, time of day and situation.
Related: crime rate in Canada by city, crime rate by province, most dangerous cities in B.C., most dangerous cities in Ontario, the Crime Severity Index explained. In an emergency call 911.