Go with a plan.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Colombo at 57/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than Sri Lanka's national picture overall (62/100 vs 63/100).
City page · part of Sri Lanka
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Colombo report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside Sri Lanka's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
43.1
Safety Index
56.9
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as Sri Lanka's national page, with crime swapped for Colombo's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Colombo, specifically
- • Colombo is like most other South Asian capitals.
- • Being on guard for anybody trying to help you by giving you unsolicited directions or travel advice.
- • Once you are past the scammers, Colombo is a far more welcoming destination than other South Asian cities.
- • The civil war that once raged is now long over, with much development occurring since.
Legal status (national law)
Illegal since 1885 Penalty: Up to 10 years imprisonment with fines. (Ruled unenforceable by the Supreme Court) Legalization proposed
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
D / G / M · 230V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 119 / ambulance: 110 / fire: 110
Cash vs. Card
The currency is the Sri Lankan rupee, denoted by the symbol "රු" or "Rs" (ISO code: LKR). There are coins in denominations of 1 (old version is big and silver, new version is a much smaller with a little change in design), 2 (silver), 5 (gold and silver), 10, (silver) and 20 rupees (seven-sided and silver). Banknotes of Sri Lanka are issued in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 5,
How this compares to Sri Lanka
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Colombo at 57/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than Sri Lanka's national picture overall (62/100 vs 63/100).
See the full Sri Lanka page and all receipts →