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South Dunedin Safety Snapshot

Otago, New Zealand

Police data to August 2026

Generates a printable report with charts & summary.

Is South Dunedin safe? About average. South Dunedin has a safety score of 41/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 41% of New Zealand suburbs, with 29.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #96 safest of 120 ranked suburbs in Otago.

The annual total crime rate in South Dunedin is 29.8 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #96 safest of 120 ranked suburbs in Otago Region. The overall crime trend in the area has decreased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in April 2026, May 2026, August 2026.

How the safety score works

Safety Score (NZCHI-adjusted)

iHow it works
41 / 100
Crimes per 1,000 residents
i
29.8
Regional rank #96 / 120 (Bottom 25%)
3-Month Trend
i
▼34.6%(improving)

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026
  • Theft 33.0%
    Theft accounts for 33.0 percent of incidents.
  • Burglary 20.0%
    Burglary accounts for 20.0 percent of incidents.
  • Assault 17.0%
    Assault accounts for 17.0 percent of incidents.
  • Sexual Offences 2.0%
    Sexual Offences accounts for 2.0 percent of incidents.
  • Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion 2.0%
    Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion accounts for 2.0 percent of incidents.
View full safety overview for South Dunedin ›

South Dunedin Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

2,511

Households

1,248

Median income

$41,914

Median rent

$262

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14
315 (12.5%)
Age 15-64
1,530 (60.9%)
Age 65+
681 (27.1%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ
1,986 (79.6%)
Born overseas
510 (20.4%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European
1,917 · 67.8%
Māori
351 · 12.4%
Pacific
189 · 6.7%
Asian
300 · 10.6%
MELAA
33 · 1.2%
Other
36 · 1.3%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned
2,094 · 100%
Not owned
1,383 · 66.2%
Other
123 · 5.9%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family
459 (12.3%)
Two families
12 (0.3%)
Three+ families
0 (0%)
Other composition
3,252 (87.3%)

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

FAQ

  • Is South Dunedin a safe suburb to live in?

    South Dunedin has a safety score of 41/100, making it the #96 safest of 120 ranked suburbs in Otago Region. 72% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

  • What is the crime rate in South Dunedin?

    The annual crime rate in South Dunedin is 29.8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

Crime heatmap for South Dunedin

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

Nearby Suburbs