{"license":"CC BY 4.0 — attribution: IsMyTripSafe.com","source":"https://ismytripsafe.com/belgium/leuven","updatedAt":"2026-07-29T00:43:28.822Z","place":{"city":"Leuven","country":"Belgium","countryCode":"BE","lat":50.87959,"lon":4.70093},"safety":{"score":85,"level":"VERY_SAFE","answer":"Yes — very safe","saferThanPctOfCountries":92,"confidence":0.87,"caps":[],"databaseScore":85,"travellerSentiment":{"score":87,"label":"Mostly positive","summary":"Travelers and students report feeling safe walking during daylight; nighttime confidence drops slightly in busy bars but remains higher than in Brussels","weightInScore":0.18,"components":[{"label":"Reported feel","score":85,"weight":0.35},{"label":"Robbery risk","score":92,"weight":0.45},{"label":"Pickpocket risk","score":78,"weight":0.2}]},"categories":[{"key":"crime","label":"Crime","score":79,"tier":1},{"key":"sentiment","label":"Traveller Sentiment","score":87,"tier":1},{"key":"advisories","label":"Advisories","score":72,"tier":2},{"key":"stability","label":"Stability","score":79,"tier":2},{"key":"health","label":"Health & Air","score":90,"tier":2}]},"advisories":[{"source":"U.S. Department of State","level":2,"label":"Exercise Increased Caution","updated":"Thu, 23 Jul 2026","url":"https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/belgium-travel-advisory.html"},{"source":"UK Foreign Office (FCDO)","level":1,"label":"No advisory against travel","updated":"2026-06-05T14:23:26Z","url":"https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/belgium"},{"source":"Government of Canada","level":2,"label":"Exercise a high degree of caution","updated":"2026-07-13T14:53:10.4800879-04:00","url":"https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/belgium"}],"indicators":[{"key":"homicide","label":"Homicide rate","value":1.08030153549307,"display":"1.1 / 100k","year":"2021","score":93,"source":"World Bank Open Data"},{"key":"crime_major_constraint","label":"Crime seen as a major business constraint","value":0.4,"display":"0.4%","year":"2020","score":100,"source":"World Bank Enterprise Surveys"},{"key":"terrorism_deaths_pm","label":"Terrorism deaths (latest year)","value":0,"display":"0 recorded","year":"2021","score":100,"source":"Global Terrorism Database"},{"key":"road_deaths","label":"Road traffic deaths","value":4.6,"display":"4.6 / 100k","year":"2021","score":86,"source":"WHO Global Health Observatory"},{"key":"stability","label":"Political stability & no terrorism","value":67.9689981,"display":"68/100","year":"2024","score":68,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"rule_of_law","label":"Rule of law","value":79.0425834,"display":"79/100","year":"2024","score":79,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"corruption","label":"Control of corruption","value":77.5852129,"display":"78/100","year":"2024","score":78,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"gov_effectiveness","label":"Government effectiveness","value":74.5710173,"display":"75/100","year":"2024","score":75,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"regulatory","label":"Regulatory quality","value":74.4753152,"display":"74/100","year":"2024","score":74,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"voice","label":"Voice & accountability","value":83.0542039,"display":"83/100","year":"2024","score":83,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"numbeo_crime_index","label":"Crime index (crowdsourced)","value":49.5,"display":"49.5 / 100","year":null,"score":55,"source":"Numbeo Crime Index"},{"key":"safe_walking_dark","label":"Feel safe walking alone after dark","value":64.3,"display":"64.3%","year":"2024","score":65,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"violence_victimization","label":"Physical assault (past year)","value":2.4,"display":"2.4%","year":"2024","score":87,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"sexual_violence","label":"Sexual violence (past year)","value":1,"display":"1.0%","year":"2024","score":88,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"human_trafficking_victims","label":"Detected human-trafficking victims","value":0.71,"display":"0.71 / 100k","year":"2024","score":82,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"bribery_contact_rate","label":"Bribery during public-official contact","value":10,"display":"10.0%","year":"2021","score":76,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"air_quality","label":"Air quality","value":37,"display":"US AQI 37 · Good","year":null,"score":92,"source":"Open-Meteo Air Quality"},{"key":"health","label":"Travel health notices","value":null,"display":"3 global notices","year":null,"score":92,"source":"CDC Travelers' Health"},{"key":"hospitals","label":"Hospitals nearby","value":54.219734252,"display":"54 beds / 10k · country avg","year":"2023","score":92,"source":"WHO Global Health Observatory"},{"key":"weather","label":"Extreme weather","value":36,"display":"July: highs ~36°C · high heat","year":null,"score":80,"source":"Open-Meteo"},{"key":"natural_hazards","label":"Natural hazards","value":0,"display":"No active alerts · low seismicity","year":null,"score":100,"source":"GDACS / USGS"},{"key":"advisory","label":"Government travel advisory","value":2,"display":"Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution · 2 govts","year":null,"score":72,"source":"US State Dept · Canada"}],"healthNotices":[{"level":"Alert","title":"Global Polio","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level2/global-polio"},{"level":"Watch","title":"Global Dengue","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/dengue-global"},{"level":"Watch","title":"Global Measles","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/measles-globe"}],"hazardAlerts":[],"fieldResearch":{"verdict":"Yes — Leuven is one of Belgium's safest cities for visitors.","summary":"Crime is low, violent incidents are rare, and the city scores 92/100 for safety perception. Recent data shows only petty crime concerns, especially pickpocketing in crowded areas, while protests and strikes have caused only minor disruptions.","robberyRisk":{"level":"Low","note":"Armed robbery is extremely rare; most incidents involve isolated pickpocketing in crowded venues"},"pickpocketRisk":{"level":"Moderate","note":"Pickpocketing is common in tourist hotspots like the Oude Markt, university events, and on trains, especially during nightlife"},"safeAreas":["Historic Heart (Gothic Town Hall area)","Academic Area (university buildings)","Suburban Area (parks, Arenberg Castle, tech companies)"],"avoidAreas":["Residential District (northeast of center, Provincial Domain)"],"scams":["fake charity collections","overpriced street food or drink scams near the Oude Markt","unauthorized tour guides offering 'exclusive' access"],"zones":[{"name":"Historic Heart (Gothic Town Hall area)","level":"safe","note":"well-lit, heavily patrolled, busy with tourists and police"},{"name":"Student Quarter (longest bar in the world)","level":"caution","note":"safe but watch for pickpockets during nightlife"},{"name":"Academic Area (university buildings)","level":"safe","note":"well-maintained, regularly patrolled, student-dominated"},{"name":"Suburban Area (parks, Arenberg Castle, tech companies)","level":"safe","note":"family-friendly, low crime rates, excellent green spaces"},{"name":"Residential District (northeast of center, Provincial Domain)","level":"caution","note":"quiet but less foot traffic after dark"}]}}