Antigua and Barbuda

Is Antigua and Barbuda safe to visit?

Yes. The US State Department rates Antigua and Barbuda Level 1, "exercise normal precautions", calls it generally safe for travellers, and mentions only one specific risk: hurricanes. That makes it, with Barbados, one of the two most relaxed advisories in the eastern Caribbean, and far from Saint Lucia's murder rate.

The numbers are small. The Royal Police Force recorded 10 murders in the first ten months of 2025, one fewer than in the same period of 2024. With only about 94,000 people, a few killings move the rate a lot: UNODC figures swing from 3.3 per 100,000 in 2019 to 22.1 in 2017. The 2017-2023 average, about 12, is the fairer guide, and the advisories do not suggest visitors are targeted. We score the country 70.

Crime: low, but not zero

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary lists murder, armed robbery and sexual assault, and asks visitors to make sure their accommodation is secure. That includes yachts, which matters in a country where many visitors arrive by sea at English Harbour or Jolly Harbour. It warns that resisting a robbery can bring a violent response with weapons. Hand over what is asked for.

The usual precautions apply: take care walking alone off busy main roads, avoid isolated beaches after dark, leave passports and valuables in the safe, and be careful at street and beach parties during the summer festival season. The police also reported more aggravated robberies and indecent assaults in 2025, even as overall crime fell by about 10%.

Early 2026 started worse, with police reporting more homicides than at the same point of 2025. On such a small base that may not last, but it is worth watching.

Hurricanes are the main risk

Antigua and Barbuda sit in the northern Leeward Islands, right where many Atlantic hurricanes cross into the Caribbean. On 6 September 2017 Hurricane Irma made landfall on Barbuda at its peak, a Category 5 storm with winds of about 155 knots. The National Hurricane Center says it damaged or destroyed about 95% of the island's buildings, including the airport, and killed 3 people. Everyone left, and Barbuda was uninhabited for the first time in 300 years.

Barbuda has been rebuilding since, and services there are basic. On Antigua, resorts are generally built and run with storms in mind, but a direct hit would close the airport and cut power and water.

If you travel between June and November, follow the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Services and the NHC, take evacuation orders seriously, and buy insurance that covers storm cancellations. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary also notes that earthquakes are a risk; tremors are occasionally felt.

Roads, taxis and the sea

The traffic department counted 9 road deaths in 2025, up from 5 in 2024, and blamed most of them on speeding. That averages about 7 per 100,000, a modest rate for the region. Roads have potholes and unmarked speed bumps, rural roads are narrow with blind corners, and many are unlit. You need a temporary local driving licence, which hire companies can usually arrange. Traffic drives on the left. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises not to stop if pedestrians flag you down.

Taxis have no meters; fares are set by zone, so agree the price before you set off, in Eastern Caribbean or US dollars. Currents can be deceptively strong and not all beaches have lifeguards or flags, so read the water before you swim, particularly on the Atlantic side.

Health care and local laws

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says the main government hospital can deal with many types of treatment, but serious cases may need evacuation by air, and treatment is expensive. Private clinics may want payment in advance and may not take travel insurance directly. Carry your medicines in their original packaging and use repellent; dengue circulates in the region.

A few laws catch visitors out. Smoking in public places is illegal and can lead to arrest, wearing camouflage clothing is banned for everyone including children, and drug offences carry severe penalties. Same-sex relations are no longer criminalised, though the FCDO says public displays of affection by any couple are uncommon.

How we scored it

Conflict (90) and road safety (76) are the strongest factors. Natural hazards (60) is the weakest, because the islands lie on the main hurricane track and Barbuda was nearly wiped out in 2017. Violent crime (53) sits in our 8-20 per 100,000 band on the multi-year average. Health (70) and petty crime (72) reflect a small but adequate health system and limited theft. We will revisit the crime score when full-year 2025 and 2026 police figures appear.