Is Corsica Safe? Stats, Info and Tips

Corsica is a beautiful jewel in the Mediterranean sea that tourists flock to visit. Whether it’s for some sun from the marvellous beaches, the countryside, mountains, forests, pretty villages and other attractions. However before you consider visiting you may want to know Corsica’s safety level.

Corsica is the fourth safest out of the 13 regions in France. It is considered very safe including at night where walking alone should not be a problem. There are criminal gangs, but they do not target tourists. However they do occasionally riot or bomb buildings so you should check the news to see if you need to avoid any locations.

Here is some more in depth information about safety in Corsica.

Crime in Corsica

As you probably know, Corsica is part of France, and as a result Corsica tends to get lumped into the general statistics of France. In fact out of 32 countries in Europe, France is in the top 10 for the highest number of recorded offences according to Eurostat. However Corsica is generally safer than France as a whole.  

Violent Crime

Corsica does have a problem with criminal gangs that are involved in all sorts of nefarious activity. The crimes are some of the worst acts of homicides, violent attacks and bombings. You will be surprised to find out that Corsica’s homicide rate is 4 times that of the average in all of France according to Statista.

The number is shocking considering France is also in the top 10 in Europe with one of the highest homicide rates. No one likes talking about this particular issue in Corsica, but it is something that I need to mention. Mostly, killings are tit-for-tat with one gang against another, but occasionally violence spills over.

The National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC) is a violent separatist movement waging war against France since 1977. They are not fond of ‘outsiders’ controlling Corsica in any way like buying up property.

That is to say whether it’s for their own personal use or as a business establishment. So in the past they targeted holiday villas, hotels, night clubs, residential buildings, offices, shops and vehicles.

In fact in 2022 Corsica had some civil unrest, there were riots with over 100 injured and a number of holiday villas got burned. Hence if you are on holiday in Corsica no one is going to target you, but you may want to keep up to date with the news. You should check to see if there is any civil unrest, and if so which places to avoid to stay safe.

Thefts

Thefts account for 45% of overall crime in Corsica vs 25% of violence against people. That is out of a total of 11,946 crimes recorded in 2020. However theft is not that common place and in fact Corsica is the fourth safest region out of 13 in all of France.

Not surprisingly most residents feels safe which is great to see. In fact out of all the islands and countries I have researched so far, Corsica’s statistics on crime look really good.

According to Numbeo most residents are not worried about being robbed or attacked in any way. That is whether they are out on the street or having their home or car burgled. All you need to do is exercise common sense, like by not leaving bags or valuables unattended.

Ajaccio and Bastia have the most crime so you should take a little more care when visiting these two towns.

Is Corsica Safe at Night?

Residents in Corsica feel safe to walk alone at night and confident they will not encounter any trouble. However residents perceive physical attacks based on race, gender or religion are high. This should come as no surprise as local criminal gangs are intolerant of ‘outsider’ influences.

Personally regardless where I travel to, I usually do not travel alone unless I’m confident of my level of safety. So if you have any doubts you should bring along at least one travel buddy.

Road Safety in Corsica

If you are looking to hire a car in Corsica there is some good news. Out of all of France’s mainland regions, Corsica contributes the lowest percentage of road fatalities. Here are the statistics based on data from 2020, where the percentage remains consistent give or take a few percentage points when you compare other years.

France Mainland District	2020 Percentage Road Fatalities
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	13%
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	6.5%
Brittany	5.4%
Centre-Val de Loire	4.4%
Corsica	0.7%
Grand Est	8.7%
Hauts-de-France	7.6%
Paris Region	9.8%
Normandie	5.7%
Nouvelle-Aquitaine	11.7%
Occitanie	11.3%
Pays de la Loire	6.3%
Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur	9%
Total	100%

Hence for anyone looking to drive can enjoy the scenery knowing that they are safer than in most other places on the road. That is whether you are going to drive from one town to the next, and/or specifically want to check out some scenic routes.

The roads in general are quite good although you will encounter some that need maintenance. Since Corsica is mountainous, the roads wind up and around the mountains. In fact there are many sharp turns all over the country areas.

Additionally you will need to look out for a couple of things other than navigating narrow streets. Firstly some drivers in Corsica tend to speed round sharp corners, so you should take your time when going around bends. Secondly some country roads, even the ones high up hills do not have guard rails, so you need to take care so as not to fall off the edge.