Johannesburg is objectively a high-crime city and is considered dangerous compared with most major cities worldwide, but risk varies a lot by area, time of day, and how you move around the city.
Overall risk
Johannesburg has a crime index around 80 out of 100 in recent rankings, which places it among the cities with the highest reported crime levels globally. Travel advisories and safety reports generally rate the overall risk as “high,” especially for violent crime, armed robbery, carjacking, and residential crime.
Who is most at risk
Most serious violent crime tends to affect residents in specific high‑poverty neighborhoods and areas with weak policing rather than random visitors everywhere in the city. Tourists who stay in safer suburbs, use reputable transport, and avoid known hotspots are statistically much less likely to be victims, though opportunistic theft and mugging remain real risks.
High‑risk places and situations
Several inner‑city districts—such as parts of the CBD, Hillbrow, Yeoville, Berea, Alexandra and other overcrowded townships—are repeatedly highlighted as hotspots for muggings, armed robbery, and other serious crimes, especially after dark. Risk increases if walking alone at night, displaying valuables (phones, cameras, jewelry), using informal transport, or moving through unfamiliar areas without local knowledge.
Practical safety tips
Visitors and residents are widely advised to: avoid walking in unsafe areas at night, keep phones and valuables out of sight, use registered taxis or ride‑hailing from safe pick‑up points, and be cautious around ATMs and traffic lights where carjackings and window smashes can occur. Choosing safer suburbs (for example, parts of Sandton, Rosebank or similar areas), staying in secure accommodation, and taking local advice on where not to go can reduce—but not eliminate—risk.
Bottom line
Johannesburg is significantly more dangerous than many other large cities in terms of crime statistics, and you should treat it as a high‑risk environment that demands active precautions. With careful planning, area awareness, and conservative behavior, many visitors and residents move around daily without incident, but the underlying risk level remains high and should not be underestimated.
