Milan leads the crime rate, while Naples ranks twelfth in Il Sole 24 Ore's survey.

An in-depth analysis examining the data for 2025: the decline in car and apartment thefts is not halting the rise of cyber fraud and economic crimes. And in Southern Italy, from the grip of organized crime to oases of tranquility like Benevento, the Campania region reveals profound territorial fractures.

The Submerged Geometry of Crime

The numbers reveal a shifting reality, made up of complex geographies, distorted perceptions, and relentless geolocalization. The updated edition of the Crime Index, compiled from data from the joint database of the Ministry of the Interior's Department of Public Security and published by Il Sole 24 Ore, offers a merciless X-ray of the country.

For the first time after four consecutive years of growth, reported crimes in Italy have reversed course: in 2025, they reached 2,36 million, marking a 1,8% decrease (equal to 42.242 fewer crimes than the previous year).

But the national average, as often happens, hides deep flaws. At the top of the insecurity pyramid, Milan unmistakably stands out, while to the south, the focus inevitably shifts to Naples, ranked twelfth. This ranking paints a picture of a metropolis caught between percentage declines and disturbing records for predatory and mafia-related crimes.

Milan at the Heart of the Emergency

While Italy as a whole is taking a breather, the Lombardy capital is unstoppable. Milan remains firmly at the top of the national rankings with over 7.000 complaints per 100 residents, a further 0,6% increase compared to 2024.

The Milanese model, driven by high commuter mobility, intense tourist flows, and a hyperactive economic fabric, pays the highest price in terms of predatory crime, pickpocketing, and widespread petty crime. Along with Florence (second with 6.374 reports per 100 inhabitants) and Rome (third), large metropolitan cities continue to account for nearly half (47,4%) of the entire crime rate reported across the peninsula. Milan, along with Rome, Turin, and Bologna, alone accounts for a quarter of the reports of foreign nationals reported or arrested, confirming its position as a global crossroads of social tensions and challenges of integration and urban security.

Naples in twelfth place

Zooming in to the South, attention focuses on Naples, number twelfth. With a total of 131.056 overall reports—equal to 4.435,2 per 100,000 inhabitants—the Campania capital formally records a 1,6% decrease compared to 2024 figures. This statistical breath of fresh air, however, should not be misleading: analyzing the item-by-item details, the investigation reveals a structured and entrenched criminal network.

Naples ranks second nationally in the categories of smuggling and loan sharking, and climbs to third place for extortion and counterfeiting of trademarks and industrial products. This picture paints a picture of economic and organized crime deeply rooted in the city's manufacturing and commercial underbelly, paradoxically contrasted with its 105th place (second to last) in the marginal category of pure damage.

Alongside the capital, the rest of Campania draws a varied map:

Caserta ranks 50th (29.678 cases; 3.271,8 per 100 inhabitants; -4,8%), distinguishing itself negatively by ranking third in smuggling, fourth in counterfeiting, and fifth in money laundering.

Salerno ranks 56th (32.983 cases; 3.131,3 per 100 inhabitants; -3,9%), placing it fourth for forest fires and eighth for arson.

Avellino slips to 91st place (10.438 cases; 2.655,7 per 100 inhabitants; -2,6%), despite recording specific critical issues such as fourth place for criminal association and sixth for computer crimes.

Benevento, finally, represents the happy island of the region: it is fourth to last in Italy (5.617 reports, 2.177,4 per 100 inhabitants, a decrease of 3,5%), but nevertheless ranks fifth nationally for usury.

National trends: fewer thefts, more cyber fraud, and fewer minors involved

Analysis of the Il Sole 24 Ore survey allows us to trace the macro trends that guided 2025. The overall decline is primarily driven by the collapse in thefts (-5,9%), which fell below the one million mark (992.660 cases) for the first time since 2022, with record drops in thefts from parked cars (-16,2%) and from homes (-8,7%). Robberies also decreased (-3,6%).

Conversely, cybercrime continues to grow steadily: computer scams and frauds reached 298.651 (+4,4% compared to 2024 and +40,8% compared to 2019). Damage (+3,9%) and extortion (+1,4%) are also on the rise. A particularly sensitive issue concerns minors: in 2025, reports of minors reported or arrested reached 39.600 (+34% compared to 2019), accounting for 25,8% of all public robberies, a clear symptom of youth distress that deeply challenges educational and regulatory institutions.

Official Rankings

1. National Ranking (Top 10 Positions – Complaints per 100.000 inhabitants)

1. Milan (National record, high incidence of predatory and metropolitan crimes)
2. Florence (Second in density of complaints in relation to residents)
3. Rome (Major metropolis at the center of tensions over thefts and scams)
4. Bologna (crossroads of economic flows and commuting)
5. Turin (High incidence of urban and predatory crime)
6. Rimini (Strong seasonal tourism impact on per capita data)
7. Genoa (Port and commercial hub with a high density of urban crime)
8. Prato (High concentration of complaints and strong foreign presence in the total)
9. Venice (Mass Tourism and its Impact on Petty Crime Flows)
10. Livorno (Port city with significant crime rates)

(Note: At the other end of the national ranking are Oristano, Potenza, Enna and Benevento).

 Campania Regional Ranking (From most reported to safest per 100.000 inhabitants)

1. Naples (12th nationally – 4.435,2 reports per 100 inhabitants)
2. Caserta (50th nationally – 3.271,8 reports per 100 inhabitants)
3. Salerno (56th nationally – 3.131,3 reports per 100 inhabitants)
4. Avellino (91st nationally – 2.655,7 complaints per 100 inhabitants)
5. Benevento (103rd nationally / fourth-to-last – 2.177,4 reports per 100 inhabitants)