Montreal vs. Ottawa Crime Comparison
In August 2026, Ottawa recorded a higher rate of reported crime per capita than Montreal — 267 vs 66.6 incidents per 100,000 people (about 4× higher). Ottawa logged 2,717 total crimes against a population of 1,017,449, compared to 1,175 crimes in Montreal, population 1,762,949.
Rates use each city's total population, not just areas actively patrolled or reported on — a rough per-capita comparison, not a precision statistic. See About for methodology.
Montreal, QC
- Total crimes
- 1,175
- Population (2021)
- 1,762,949
- Crimes per 100,000 people
- 66.6
- Top category
- Break & enter
Ottawa, ON
Higher rate- Total crimes
- 2,717
- Population (2021)
- 1,017,449
- Crimes per 100,000 people
- 267
- Top category
- Theft
Crime by Category
Raw count and rate per 100,000 people for each category both cities recorded in August 2026.
| Category | Montreal | Montreal /100k | Ottawa | Ottawa /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | not published | 1,652 | 162.4 | |
| Mischief | 284 | 16.1 | 254 | 25 |
| Break & enter | 339 | 19.2 | 140 | 13.8 |
| Assault | not published | 388 | 38.1 | |
| Auto theft | 203 | 11.5 | 77 | 7.6 |
| Theft from vehicle | 255 | 14.5 | not published | |
| Other | not published | 163 | 16 | |
| Robbery | 91 | 5.2 | 43 | 4.2 |
| Homicide | 3 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Shooting | not published | 0 | 0 | |
“Not published” means that city's portal doesn't break out this category at all — missing is not the same as zero.