Metro Manila is among the ASEAN cities with the highest crime rates, according to Numbeo’s 2025 Crime Index. In a recent survey, the city recorded a crime index score of 64.5, placing it at the top among capitals in Southeast Asia.
Quezon City followed closely with a score of 63.9, ranking second in the region.
Numbeo’s index is based on user-submitted perceptions rather than official crime statistics. The platform compiles responses from residents and visitors over a rolling 36-month period, with more recent entries given greater weight.
Respondents rate their concerns across indicators such as theft, assault, drug activity, home break-ins, car theft, and safety when walking alone at night.
A crime index score reflects the perceived level of criminality in a city. Scores above 60 are considered high, indicating widespread public concern. The corresponding safety index, calculated by subtracting the crime index from 100, represents perceived safety in a given location.
Recent incidents continue to shape public sentiment. In February 2025, a high school student from the British School Manila in Pasay was abducted near the campus, prompting a police manhunt and raising safety concerns even in secured areas. Other widely reported crimes in the past year include the ambush killing of Aparri Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda and five aides in Nueva Vizcaya; a rise in riding-in-tandem robbery cases in Quezon City and Caloocan, and a PHP 136-million drug seizure in Pasig and Manila tied to a regional trafficking network.
Additional cases such as the murder of a call center agent in Mandaluyong, the rape of a minor by a barangay official in Quezon City, and a spike in digital wallet and ATM scams, have also contributed to negative perceptions, particularly in urban areas.
Other Philippine cities included in the index show varying levels of public concern. Cebu City posted a crime index of 51.4; Iloilo City, 40.7; Makati, 38.5, and Davao City, 28.4. Manila also received low ratings in nighttime safety, reflecting continued anxiety over street-level crime and limited confidence in law enforcement response.
The 2025 rankings were released in January, using data gathered throughout 2024.
