Dunedin Central Safety Snapshot

Is Dunedin Central safe? It has more recorded crime than most NZ suburbs. Dunedin Central has a safety score of 1/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 1% of New Zealand suburbs, with 439.3 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #120 safest of 120 ranked suburbs in Otago.

The annual total crime rate in Dunedin Central is 439.3 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #120 safest of 120 ranked suburbs in Otago Region. The overall crime trend in the area has increased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in March 2026, July 2026, August 2026.

How the safety score works

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026

• Theft 62.2%
  Theft accounts for 62.2 percent of incidents.
• Assault 26.4%
  Assault accounts for 26.4 percent of incidents.
• Burglary 5.9%
  Burglary accounts for 5.9 percent of incidents.
• Sexual Offences 3.5%
  Sexual Offences accounts for 3.5 percent of incidents.
• Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion 1.9%
  Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion accounts for 1.9 percent of incidents.
• Harm Or Endanger Persons 0.1%
  Harm Or Endanger Persons accounts for 0.1 percent of incidents.

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View full safety overview for Dunedin Central ›

Dunedin Central Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

2,181

Households

693

Median income

$71,498

Median rent

$471

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14

72 (3.3%)

Age 15-64

2,046 (93.8%)

Age 65+

69 (3.2%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ

1,341 (63%)

Born overseas

789 (37%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European

1,446 · 57.6%

Māori

264 · 10.5%

Pacific

135 · 5.4%

Asian

573 · 22.8%

MELAA

69 · 2.7%

Other

24 · 1%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned

1,965 · 100%

Not owned

1,815 · 92.8%

Other

132 · 6.7%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family

228 (11.2%)

Two families

6 (0.3%)

Three+ families

3 (0.1%)

Other composition

1,797 (88.3%)

Demographic data sourced from Stats NZ , licensed under CC BY 4.0

FAQ

• Is Dunedin Central a safe suburb to live in?

  Dunedin Central has a safety score of 1/100, making it the #120 safest of 120 ranked suburbs in Otago Region. 68% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

• What is the crime rate in Dunedin Central?

  The annual crime rate in Dunedin Central is 439.3 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

Nearby Suburbs

• Arthur Street (Otago)
• Royal Terrace (Otago)
• Fernhill (Otago)
• Campus South (Otago)
• Roslyn (Dunedin City) (Otago)
• Campus West (Otago)
• Belleknowes (Otago)
• Mornington (Otago)
• Hillside-Portsmouth Drive (Otago)
• Harbourside (Otago)