Spain's Most Dangerous Cities According to INE Data
El Prat, Castellón, and Torrevieja recorded Spain's highest crime rates in 2025. Yet, the figures hide a population effect that distorts the true ranking.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
El Prat, Castellón and Torrevieja: The Highest Crime Rate
Nobody would expect a dormitory town near Barcelona Airport to top the crime rankings. However, according to 2025 data from the Ministry of the Interior and the INE (National Institute of Statistics), El Prat de Llobregat, Castellón de la Plana, and Torrevieja have the highest crime rates per inhabitant.
The key lies in the denominator: the rate is calculated by dividing crimes by registered residents. But in these cities, the actual population far exceeds the official census.
Thousands of tourists, transit passengers, and daily workers inflate the numerator without appearing in the denominator.
Thus, El Prat, with Barcelona Airport, registers incivil activity concentrated in transport nodes, while Torrevieja and Castellón experience massive international tourism. The result is an indicator that measures exposure to transient population rather than the actual risk faced by residents.
To what extent does this data reflect real citizen insecurity, or merely a statistical effect? The answer is unclear, but the official ranking continues to penalize those with more visitors.
Nobody would expect a dormitory town near Barcelona Airport to top the crime rankings. However, according to 2025 data from the Ministry of the Interior and the INE (National Institute of Statistics), El Prat de Llobregat, Castellón de la Plana, and Torrevieja have the highest crime rates per inhabitant.
The key lies in the denominator: the rate is calculated by dividing crimes by registered residents. But in these cities, the actual population far exceeds the official census.
Thousands of tourists, transit passengers, and daily workers inflate the numerator without appearing in the denominator.
Thus, El Prat, with Barcelona Airport, registers incivil activity concentrated in transport nodes, while Torrevieja and Castellón experience massive international tourism. The result is an indicator that measures exposure to transient population rather than the actual risk faced by residents.
To what extent does this data reflect real citizen insecurity, or merely a statistical effect? The answer is unclear, but the official ranking continues to penalize those with more visitors.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (14 replies).
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