Attention pickpocket! The uni cities where you’re most likely to have your phone stolen

For most people, having your phone stolen is probably one of your biggest fears. Literally, our whole lives are on there and a lot of people wouldn’t know how to function without a phone, especially students. So which uni are you most likely to get your phone stolen at, so you know where to avoid?

Loveit Coverit, experts in mobile phone insurance, have collated freedom of information requests on mobile theft data that were available for university cities. To calculate the number of students who are likely to get their phone stolen in each uni city, they divided the number of reported phone thefts by the total population of the city and then multiplied this by the student population.

So here are the uni cities where you’re most likely to get your phone stolen:

10. Leeds

At 10th, around 72 students are estimated to get their phone stolen in Leeds this year. Leeds has a total population of 812,000 people and a student population of 60,000 across four unis. In 2022, there were 981 reports of phone thefts across Leeds.

9. Coventry

Next is Coventry where 660 people reported their phone as being stolen last year. Coventry has a population of 812,000 people and 60,000 students. This means that, at just one more than Leeds, 73 students at Warwick, Coventry and Arden University are expected to get their phones nicked at uni this year.

8. Derby

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With an overall population of 261,400 and a student population of around 34,000, Derby is eighth. Last year, 637 people reported their phones as stolen in the city meaning that 83 students are estimated to have their phones stolen whilst at uni this year.

7. Sheffield

Students at The University of Sheffield or Sheffield Hallam are the seventh most likely to have their phones nicked out of all unis in the UK. With a general population of 556,500 and student population of around 60,000, 1,416 people reported having their phones stolen in 2022. Therefore, Loveit Coverit estimated that 153 students in Sheffield will have their phones stolen this year.

6. Newcastle

Putting it at sixth, 1,100 people reported having their phones stolen in Newcastle last year. Newcastle has a population of 300,200 people and around 45,000 students across the unis in the city. So this year, it is estimated that around 165 students will get their phones stolen at uni in Newcastle.

5. Birmingham

Via Jonas Leupe on Unsplash

The city of Birmingham has a population of 1,149,00o and 76,850 students and there were 3,149 phone thefts last year. This means that around 211 students at The University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University and Aston University are likely to have their phone nicked this academic year.

4. Nottingham

In Nottingham 1,083 phones were reported stolen in 2022. With a total population of 323,700 and student population of 70,625, the study calculated that around 236 students from The University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent will have their phones stolen this academic year.

3. Liverpool

Liverpool is third for the uni cities where you’re most likely to have your phone stolen. In 2022, there were 2,224 phone thefts reported to the police. So, with a total population of 486,100 and student population of around 70,000, 320 students at unis such as The University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores or Liverpool Hope are likely to get their phone stolen each year.

2. Manchester

If you go to The University of Manchester or Manchester Met, you’re the students second most likely to get your phone stolen in the UK. In 2022, 3,896 phones were reported missing in Manchester. Manchester has a population of 554,230 and a student population of 120,670. This means that around 850 students will get their phone stolen in a year at uni.

1. London

London has officially the highest number of phone thefts out of any uni city meaning if you go to uni in London, you’re most likely to get your phone nicked. In 2022, 117,005 phone lefts were reported in its population of 1,982,000. With a huge student population of around 400,000, around 5,211 students are at risk of getting their phone stolen this academic year.

Don’t mind me just never leaving the house with my phone ever again.

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