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Is Bergen safe?

Violence and theft in Bergen compared with Norway and Oslo.

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Short answer

Official figures put Bergen close to the Norwegian average for reported violence, while theft is more common than in the country as a whole. SSB counted 8.1 cases of violence and 25.0 thefts per 1,000 residents a year in Bergen in 2024–2025. For all offences together, Bergen was slightly above the national average for the same period.

Bergen a shield icon with a check mark next to a tent and a small no-campfire sign on a green hillside

Why

  1. SSB publishes figures for single municipalities as two-year averages: for 2024–2025 Bergen had 64.1 reported offences of all kinds per 1,000 residents, slightly above the national average for the same period and well below Oslo.
  2. Reported violence in Bergen was 8.1 cases per 1,000 residents a year, almost the same as the national average, while property theft was 25.0, higher than the national level.
  3. For 2025 alone, SSB gives figures by county: Vestland, which includes Bergen, had 48.2 reported offences per 1,000 inhabitants, against 62.3 for Norway and 103.0 for Oslo.

Details

The figures count offences reported to the police by the place where they happened, and they include traffic and drug offences as well as theft and violence. If something happens, call 112 for the police in an emergency, 113 for medical emergencies and 02800 for police matters that are not urgent. For illness that cannot wait but is not life-threatening, call the out-of-hours medical service on 116 117.

Tip

Keep an eye on bags and phones in busy places, since theft is the offence that stands out in Bergen's figures.

People also ask

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Sources

Information checked on 15 October 2026.

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