Toronto is the safest of Canada’s three largest metro areas by crime severity: its 2025 Crime Severity Index (CSI) was 55.0, against 61.3 for Montréal and 83.5 for Vancouver, according to Statistics Canada. Montréal has the lowest overall crime rate of the three, 3,641 incidents per 100,000 people.
Data: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime statistics for 2025 (released 22 July 2026), Crime Severity Index (Table 35-10-0026-01) and incidents by violation (Table 35-10-0177-01). Figures are for the Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver census metropolitan areas (CMAs). Ratios, gaps and rankings that are not in the release are our own calculation from Statistics Canada data. Updated 15 October 2026.
Key facts
- The Toronto CMA had a Crime Severity Index of 55.0 in 2025, down 7%, compared with 61.3 for the Montréal CMA (−5%) and 83.5 for the Vancouver CMA (+1%) (Statistics Canada, 22 July 2026).
- The Montréal CMA had the lowest crime rate of the three in 2025, 3,641 incidents per 100,000, against 3,950 in Toronto and 5,672 in Vancouver.
- Montréal had the highest violent crime rate of the three in 2025, 1,277 per 100,000, about 29% above Toronto’s 987 (our calculation).
- Vancouver’s shoplifting rate was 804 per 100,000 in 2025, about 4.2 times Montréal’s 193 and 2.1 times Toronto’s 386 (our calculation).
- Toronto had the highest motor vehicle theft rate of the three, 238 per 100,000, about 2.3 times Vancouver’s 103, even after a 27% drop in 2025.
- Toronto recorded 64 homicide victims in 2025 (0.91 per 100,000), Montréal 52 (1.12) and Vancouver 47 (1.52).
Which is safer: Toronto, Montréal or Vancouver?
Toronto is the safest of the three by crime severity in 2025, with a CSI of 55.0, while Montréal (61.3) is close behind and Vancouver (83.5) is the only one of the three above the national CSI of 75.0. The Crime Severity Index is a Statistics Canada measure of police-reported crime that gives more weight to serious offences; Canada’s 2006 level equals 100.
| Measure (2025) | Toronto CMA | Montréal CMA | Vancouver CMA | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 55.0 | 61.3 | 83.5 | 75.0 |
| CSI change vs 2024 | −7% | −5% | +1% | −5% |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 71.6 | 92.0 | 80.7 | 97.2 |
| Non-violent Crime Severity Index | 48.8 | 49.5 | 85.4 | 66.8 |
| Crime rate per 100,000 | 3,950 | 3,641 | 5,672 | 5,585 |
| Crime rate change vs 2024 | −5% | −5% | +3% | −2% |
| Criminal Code incidents (excl. traffic) | 277,388 | 169,180 | 175,143 | 2,326,077 |
| Weighted clearance rate | 33.7 | 40.1 | 19.0 | 36.6 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Tables 35-10-0026-01 and 35-10-0177-01, 2025. The weighted clearance rate is a severity-weighted measure of the share of crimes solved by police.
The ranking depends on the measure. Vancouver’s CSI is about 52% higher than Toronto’s and 36% higher than Montréal’s; its crime rate is about 44% higher than Toronto’s and 56% higher than Montréal’s (our calculations). Vancouver also recorded more incidents than Montréal (175,143 against 169,180) with roughly 1.6 million fewer residents, based on the population implied by Statistics Canada’s counts and rates (about 3.1 million against 4.6 million; our calculation).
Among Canada’s 41 metropolitan areas, Montréal had the 5th-lowest crime rate and Toronto the 8th-lowest in 2025, while Vancouver had the 14th-highest CSI (our ranking). The full list is in our crime rate in Canada by city table, and the six largest metros are compared in safest big cities in Canada.
Which city has the most violent crime?
Montréal has the most violent crime of the three: the Montréal CMA recorded 1,277 violent incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, compared with 1,090 in Vancouver and 987 in Toronto. All three were below the national violent crime rate of 1,443 per 100,000.
| Violent offence, rate per 100,000 (2025) | Toronto CMA | Montréal CMA | Vancouver CMA | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All violent crime | 987 | 1,277 | 1,090 | 1,443 |
| Homicide (victims) | 0.91 | 1.12 | 1.52 | 1.61 |
| Assault level 1 | 381 | 454 | 346 | 528 |
| Assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm | 144 | 208 | 152 | 214 |
| Sexual assault level 1 | 61 | 84 | 56 | 87 |
| Robbery | 60 | 68 | 55 | 55 |
| Criminal harassment | 64 | 105 | 30 | 86 |
Rates are incidents per 100,000 people (homicide: victims per 100,000). The highest of the three cities is in bold. Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0177-01, 2025.
Montréal’s violent Crime Severity Index (92.0) was also the highest of the three, ahead of Vancouver (80.7) and Toronto (71.6). Toronto’s violent CSI fell about 14% in 2025, from 83.0, while Vancouver’s rose about 5%, from 76.7 (our calculations).
Which city has the most homicides?
Toronto had the most homicide victims of the three in 2025, 64, but the lowest homicide rate, 0.91 per 100,000, about half its 2024 rate of 1.90. Montréal had 52 victims (1.12 per 100,000) and Vancouver 47 (1.52 per 100,000), all below the national rate of 1.61.
Vancouver was the only one of the three where the homicide rate rose in 2025, up about 24% from 1.23 (our calculation). Our homicide rate in Canada by city page covers all metros.
Which city has the most property crime, car theft and break-ins?
Vancouver has the most property crime of the three: the Vancouver CMA recorded 3,366 property incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, about 31% more than Toronto (2,566) and 70% more than Montréal (1,982), our calculation. Car theft is the exception, where Toronto leads.
| Property and other offences, rate per 100,000 (2025) | Toronto CMA | Montréal CMA | Vancouver CMA | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All property crime | 2,566 | 1,982 | 3,366 | 3,141 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 238 | 197 | 103 | 201 |
| Breaking and entering | 169 | 213 | 249 | 262 |
| Shoplifting ($5,000 or under) | 386 | 193 | 804 | 502 |
| Mischief | 284 | 221 | 541 | 739 |
| Drug offences | 74 | 114 | 351 | 144 |
The highest of the three cities is in bold. Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0177-01, 2025.
- Car theft: Toronto’s motor vehicle theft rate fell about 27% in 2025 (from 325) and Montréal’s about 29% (from 277); Vancouver’s fell about 8% (from 112). Prevention tips are in our car theft in Canada guide.
- Shoplifting: Vancouver’s rate rose about 14% in 2025 and was about 60% above the national rate. More in our shoplifting in Canada report.
- Drug offences: Vancouver’s rate was about 4.8 times Toronto’s and 2.4 times the national rate (our calculation).
Is crime going down in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver?
Crime severity fell in Toronto and Montréal in 2025 but edged up in Vancouver: the Toronto CMA’s CSI dropped 7% to 55.0, the Montréal CMA’s dropped 5% to 61.3, and the Vancouver CMA’s rose 1% to 83.5, according to Statistics Canada.
| Year | Toronto CMA CSI | Montréal CMA CSI | Vancouver CMA CSI | Canada CSI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 46.2 | 61.5 | 94.3 | 70.4 |
| 2017 | 50.0 | 59.1 | 86.7 | 73.6 |
| 2019 | 54.5 | 57.9 | 95.2 | 79.7 |
| 2021 | 45.9 | 59.3 | 86.9 | 74.9 |
| 2023 | 59.1 | 64.1 | 88.9 | 81.3 |
| 2024 | 59.4 | 64.4 | 82.3 | 78.8 |
| 2025 | 55.0 | 61.3 | 83.5 | 75.0 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0026-01.
The long-term trends point in different directions. Toronto’s CSI is about 19% higher than in 2015, Montréal’s is almost exactly where it was (−0.3%), and Vancouver’s is about 11% lower (our calculations). Vancouver’s CSI has been the highest of the three in every year from 2015 to 2025, and Montréal’s has been higher than Toronto’s in every one of those years, but the gap between Vancouver and Toronto narrowed from 48.2 points in 2015 to 28.5 in 2025.
Why do the rankings change between measures?
The rankings change because the Crime Severity Index and the crime rate measure different things: the CSI weights each offence by how serious it is, while the crime rate counts every incident equally. Montréal has fewer incidents per person than Toronto, but a larger share of its incidents are violent, which lifts its CSI above Toronto’s. Vancouver’s high CSI comes mostly from non-violent crime: its non-violent CSI (85.4) is about 1.7 times Toronto’s (48.8), while its violent CSI sits between the other two.
One caution applies: these are police-reported figures, and Statistics Canada estimates that only about 29% of victimizations were reported to police in 2019, so reporting habits can affect comparisons. Our Crime Severity Index explainer covers what the index can and cannot tell you.
How to check crime near an address in each city
- Toronto: use the Toronto Police Service public safety data portal, explained in our Toronto crime map guide and our Toronto crime rate by neighbourhood table.
- Montréal: open the SPVM criminal acts dataset on Données Québec, or start with our Montréal crime map.
- Vancouver: search the Vancouver Police Department’s GeoDASH crime map, covered in our Vancouver crime map guide.
For more detail on each city, read is Toronto safe?, is Montréal safe? and is Vancouver safe?. The national Canada crime map shows every metro side by side.
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Toronto vs Montréal vs Vancouver crime FAQ
Is Montréal safer than Vancouver?
Yes, on Statistics Canada’s 2025 data. Montréal’s Crime Severity Index was 61.3 against Vancouver’s 83.5, and its crime rate was 3,641 per 100,000 against 5,672.
Is Toronto safer than Vancouver?
Yes. The Toronto CMA’s 2025 CSI of 55.0 was about 34% lower than Vancouver’s 83.5, and Toronto’s crime rate was 3,950 per 100,000 against 5,672 (our calculation).
Does Vancouver have a high crime rate?
Vancouver’s 2025 crime rate of 5,672 per 100,000 was about 2% above the national rate of 5,585 and the highest of Canada’s three largest metros, driven mainly by property crime and shoplifting.
Is Toronto or Montréal safer?
Toronto has the lower crime severity (CSI 55.0 against 61.3) and less violent crime, while Montréal has the lower overall crime rate (3,641 against 3,950 per 100,000) and less car theft.
Which of the three cities has the most car theft?
Toronto. Its motor vehicle theft rate was 238 per 100,000 in 2025, compared with 197 in Montréal and 103 in Vancouver.
Related: safest big cities in Canada · Calgary vs Edmonton crime · safest cities in Ontario · safest cities in Quebec · most dangerous cities in BC · Vancouver vs Calgary crime. In an emergency call 911.