Cartagena safety data: citywide crime figures and a buyer’s checklist

Medicina Legal data reproduced in Cartagena Cómo Vamos’s Quality of Life report show 425 homicides in 2023, a rate of 42.15 per 100,000 people; 411 in 2024, a rate of 40.68; and 409 in 2025, a rate of 40.43. The report places Cartagena second highest among the principal cities it compares in 2025. These are citywide figures, not neighbourhood ratings. [1]

For the first half of 2026, according to the Metropolitan Police, cited by El Universal on 2 July 2026, homicides fell to 153 from 201 in the same period of 2025, a decline of 23.9%. This is a reported police trend for a partial year. It is not directly interchangeable with the annual Medicina Legal rates, and it should not be used to erase the elevated annual rate above. [2]

Do not annualise a partial period or treat a reduction as a forecast. Recording methods, source institutions and time windows matter. Our research also found an inconsistent calculation in the annual report’s discussion of the gap with the national rate. This guide does not reproduce that calculation. Keeping the original counts, rates and coverage visible makes the comparison more useful and more honest.

Cartagena Cómo Vamos reports 6,088 cases of theft against people in 2025, a rate of 601.9 per 100,000, compared with a national rate of 545.4. According to the Metropolitan Police, cited by El Universal, reported theft against people declined 38.2% in the first half of 2026. The annual report and the police press account remain different sources and periods. [1] [2]

Those figures do not identify the circumstances of a future viewing, the security arrangements of a building or the conditions along your route. Ask practical questions about arrivals, deliveries, visitor access and how residents report incidents. Separate what the seller knows directly from what they have heard. If someone makes a claim about a particular block, ask for its source and date before relying on it.

The opened sources did not provide verified homicide data by neighbourhood or locality. It would therefore be misleading to use the citywide rate to rank Castillogrande, Zona Norte or another area. A marketing label and a general reputation cannot fill that evidence gap. The right response is to identify what still needs checking for the specific address and the way you intend to use it.

Visit the surroundings at times relevant to your routine. Look at access routes, lighting, transport options and how the building handles guests. Ask the administration about procedures and available records rather than requesting a broad guarantee. If you plan to use the property only occasionally, consider who will receive deliveries, inspect the unit and coordinate maintenance when you are away. These are property management questions as well as travel questions.

Aerocivil figures reproduced by Cartagena Cómo Vamos record 3,078,519 domestic air arrivals and 736,910 international air arrivals to Cartagena during 2025. The report’s shorthand of around 3.8 million visitors is the sum of those air arrivals. It is not a complete count of visitors arriving by road or cruise ship, and it is not a measure of individual exposure to crime. [1]

According to DANE, cited by El Universal, Cartagena hotel occupancy fell to 62.7% in July 2026 from 67.4% in July 2025. The press report was published on 16 September 2026. Like air arrivals, hotel occupancy measures tourism activity rather than crime or conditions around an apartment. A visitor-market statistic cannot support a conclusion about an individual itinerary. [3]

A functioning visitor economy explains why buyers encounter a wide range of accommodation and travel services. It does not establish conditions around a particular property. Keep tourism and crime indicators in separate parts of your research. The same applies to rental plans: airport activity does not demonstrate bookings, income or occupancy for an apartment you may buy.

Confirm the address, appointment and identity of the sales contact through the project’s established channels. Arrange transport before the visit and share the itinerary with someone you trust. Keep document review and payment instructions separate from informal messages received during a viewing. If instructions change unexpectedly, verify them through the previously confirmed channel before transferring money or sending sensitive documents.

A remote viewing should show the entrance, visitor procedure, immediate street and route into the unit, not just the balcony view. Ask someone independent to inspect the property if you cannot attend. Make a written list of unanswered questions and distinguish observations made during the visit from statements supplied by the seller. This also helps your lawyer and property manager focus their follow-up work.

The UK FCDO’s Colombia advice, updated on 30 October 2026, mentions Cartagena del Chairá in Caquetá among the places where it advises against all but essential travel. That is a different municipality from Cartagena de Indias. The opened main page does not name Cartagena de Indias. Its safety section warns about theft and armed robbery in major cities, naming Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, as well as scopolamine and dating apps, without naming Cartagena. Its silence about this city is not a finding about local conditions. [4] [5]

Canada’s Colombia advice, updated on 14 October 2026, says ‘Exercise a high degree of caution’ because of high levels of crime. That is the countrywide advice, without a separate level for Cartagena. It names Cartagena, alongside Bogotá and Medellín, in warnings about dating-app scams and scopolamine. It also includes Cartagena, San Andrés and Santa Marta among places where unlicensed tourist boats have caused accidents. These are specific warnings about risks to visitors, not a classification of Cartagena as a conflict zone. [6]

Use those warnings when planning social meetings, transport and boat excursions. Check the operator’s authorisation and arrangements before booking. Review the original advisories again close to departure, since the dates above identify the versions used for this guide. The US and Australian official advisories could not be read during the research; no level or substantive claim from either is reproduced here. A search preview cannot replace the original authority’s text.

For a purchase, combine the viewing record with title review, building rules, maintenance information and a plan for managing the home. Ask what evidence would change your decision before you reserve a unit. A favourable answer about access should not conceal a missing legal document; an attractive layout should not replace a review of the surroundings. Each question deserves its own documented answer.