Yes, Montréal is a relatively safe big city: the Montréal metro area’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) was 61.3 in 2025, down 5% on 2024 and about 18% below Canada’s 75.0. Its police-reported crime rate of 3,641 incidents per 100,000 people is the lowest of Canada’s three largest metros and about 35% below the national rate of 5,585. Violent crime is closer to the national level, so the picture is “low volume, average severity”.
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 Montréal census metropolitan area (CMA). Comparisons and percentages that are not in the release are our own arithmetic. Updated 5 October 2026.
All figures are for calendar year 2025, the most recent full year published. If you are searching in French for criminalité à Montréal, these are the same official Statistics Canada numbers.
Is Montréal safe compared with other Canadian cities?
Montréal sits in the lower half of Canada’s 41 metropolitan areas by CSI and near the bottom by crime rate. Only a handful of mid-sized Quebec metros, such as Québec City, Sherbrooke, Saguenay and Trois-Rivières, record lower crime rates.
| Area (2025) | Crime Severity Index | CSI change vs 2024 | Crime rate per 100,000 | Rate change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal (CMA) | 61.3 | −5% | 3,641 | −5% |
| Toronto (CMA) | 55.0 | −7% | 3,950 | −5% |
| Vancouver (CMA) | 83.5 | +1% | 5,672 | +3% |
| Calgary (CMA) | 61.7 | −3% | 5,038 | +5% |
| Québec City (CMA) | 55.0 | −1% | 3,493 | −3% |
| Quebec (province) | 61.6 | −5% | 3,673 | −4% |
| Canada (all police services) | 75.0 | −5% | 5,585 | −2% |
Why does Montréal have the lowest crime rate of the big three but a CSI above Toronto’s? The crime rate counts every Criminal Code incident equally, while the CSI gives more weight to serious offences. Montréal records fewer incidents per person overall, but a larger share of them are violent, which lifts its CSI. Our CSI explainer covers this in detail.
Montréal city vs the Montréal CMA
The figures on this page are for the whole census metropolitan area, which includes the Island of Montréal (policed by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, SPVM) as well as surrounding cities such as Laval and Longueuil, which have their own police services. Statistics Canada also publishes CSI values for individual police services, but a separate SPVM figure is not part of the data set used for this guide, so we do not quote one. Central urban areas usually record more incidents per resident than their suburbs because of commuters and visitors, so expect the island’s core to look higher than the metro average.
Is crime in Montréal going up or down?
Down in 2025, and broadly flat over ten years. The CSI was 61.5 in 2015, dipped to 53.0 in 2020, rose to 64.4 in 2024 and fell back to 61.3 in 2025, almost exactly where it was a decade earlier.
| Year | Montréal CSI | Canada CSI |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 61.5 | 70.4 |
| 2016 | 58.7 | 72.0 |
| 2017 | 59.1 | 73.6 |
| 2018 | 58.3 | 75.6 |
| 2019 | 57.9 | 79.7 |
| 2020 | 53.0 | 73.9 |
| 2021 | 59.3 | 74.9 |
| 2022 | 61.9 | 78.7 |
| 2023 | 64.1 | 81.3 |
| 2024 | 64.4 | 78.8 |
| 2025 | 61.3 | 75.0 |
Most of the 2025 decline came from non-violent crime: the non-violent CSI fell from 53.19 to 49.52 (about 7% lower), while the violent CSI eased only slightly, from 93.90 to 92.04 (about 2%). Montréal’s violent CSI is now about 5% below the national violent CSI of 97.19.
What kind of crime is most common in Montréal?
The Montréal CMA recorded 169,180 Criminal Code incidents in 2025: 92,100 property crimes and 59,347 violent incidents.
| Offence | Montréal rate 2025 | Montréal rate 2024 | Canada rate 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Criminal Code offences (excl. traffic) | 3,641 | 3,824 | 5,585 |
| Violent crime | 1,277 | 1,278 | 1,443 |
| Homicide | 1.12 | 1.26 | 1.61 |
| Robbery | 68 | 64 | 55 |
| Property crime | 1,982 | 2,148 | 3,141 |
| Breaking and entering | 213 | 222 | 262 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 197 | 277 | 201 |
Rates are incidents per 100,000 people (homicide: victims per 100,000), Montréal census metropolitan area.
- Car theft fell sharply. 9,169 vehicles were stolen, a rate of 197 per 100,000, down 29% from 277 and now just below the national 201. See car theft in Canada.
- Homicide is below average. 52 victims, a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 (1.26 in 2024), against 1.61 nationally.
- Robbery edged up to 68 per 100,000, above the national 55.
- Shoplifting is low at 193 per 100,000, well under the national 502. Fraud was 339 per 100,000 against 426 nationally.
- Criminal harassment was recorded at 105 per 100,000 (Canada: 86), while uttering threats was lower at 184 (Canada: 234).
Montréal’s weighted clearance rate (the share of reported crime solved, weighted by seriousness) was 40.10, above the national 36.64 and higher than Toronto (33.73), Calgary (34.74) and Vancouver (19.00).
Which parts of Montréal record more crime?
We do not publish neighbourhood rankings, and Statistics Canada does not release neighbourhood figures. As in other large cities, reported incidents cluster where people gather: the downtown core, nightlife and festival areas, busy shopping streets and métro stations. These places see far more visitors than residents, so raw counts there say little about the risk of living nearby.
For street-level information, use the SPVM’s official open data (below) and compare like with like.
Is Montréal safe for visitors and at night?
For most visitors, yes. Violent crime against strangers is uncommon, and the homicide rate is below the national average. The everyday risks are opportunistic: pickpocketing in crowds, thefts from vehicles, and bike theft. Keep valuables out of sight, stay on busy streets late at night and lock bikes to fixed racks. Our tips for tourists in Canada and transit safety guide cover the basics.
How reliable are these figures?
- They are reported incidents only. In 2019 only about 29% of victimizations in Canada were reported to police, so recorded crime understates the true level.
- Police practice matters. Recording and enforcement priorities differ between services and over time.
- The CSI is not a full safety score. Statistics Canada says it should not be used as a universal indicator of safety. See the official 2025 release.
How do I check crime near a specific address in Montréal?
- Use the official SPVM open data. The City of Montréal publishes criminal incidents reported to the SPVM on Données Québec (actes criminels), with dates, categories and approximate locations.
- Look at our map. The Canada Crime Map gathers official figures by city; our Montréal crime map guide explains how to read the SPVM data.
- Compare two areas. Check the address against another district using the same categories and the same 12-month period.
- Read the limits. Locations are generalised for privacy, and commercial streets always show more incidents. Visit in the evening as well as the daytime.
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.
Montréal crime FAQ
What is Montréal’s crime rate?
In 2025 the Montréal CMA recorded 3,641 Criminal Code incidents per 100,000 people, down 5% on 2024 and about 35% below the national rate of 5,585.
Is Montréal safer than Toronto?
It depends on the measure. Montréal has a lower crime rate (3,641 vs 3,950), but Toronto has a lower Crime Severity Index (55.0 vs 61.3), because Montréal’s mix includes proportionally more violent incidents.
Is crime rising in Montréal?
Not in 2025: the CSI fell 5% to 61.3. Over ten years it is essentially unchanged, at 61.5 in 2015 and 61.3 in 2025.
How many homicides were there in Montréal in 2025?
The Montréal CMA recorded 52 homicide victims, a rate of 1.12 per 100,000, below the Canadian rate of 1.61.
Is car theft still high in Montréal?
It dropped sharply in 2025, by 29% to 197 vehicles per 100,000 people, slightly below the national rate of 201.
Related: safest cities in Quebec · is Québec City safe? · is Gatineau safe? · safest big cities in Canada · Montréal crime map. In an emergency call 911.