Argentina

Is Argentina safe to visit?

Yes, by Latin American standards it is one of the safer choices. The US State Department rates it Level 1, exercise normal precautions, the same as for most of Western Europe, and the UK 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 against travel to no part of it. The national crime statistics system (SNIC) recorded 3.6 intentional homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2025, the lowest rate on record and about a fifth of the rate in Brazil.

We score Argentina 72. That is well ahead of Peru and Colombia, held back by theft in Buenos Aires and by roads that kill far more people per head than in Europe.

Theft in Buenos Aires

The crime most visitors meet is opportunistic theft, and it is common. 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 the places to be careful in Buenos Aires: Palermo, San Telmo and its Sunday market, La Boca, the Ecological Reserve, Retiro and its bus terminal, Florida Street, Avenida 9 de Julio, Avenida de Mayo and the Obelisk area, plus the cruise and ferry terminals.

The patterns are well known:

• Phone snatching. Thieves on motorbikes grab phones from people using them at the kerb, and bags from pedestrians.
• The mustard scam. Someone squirts a liquid on you, a "helpful" stranger cleans it off, and a partner takes your bag.
• Bag theft in cafés and hotels. Bags hung on chairs or left at a hostel check-in desk disappear fast.
• Armed robbery in La Boca. Stay inside the Caminito area, where police patrol, rather than wandering into the streets around it.

The FCDO also reports drink spiking and occasional express kidnappings, and robberies of tourists who invited a new acquaintance back to their room. Hand over valuables if threatened; resistance is what turns robberies violent.

Rosario and the protests

Rosario, in Santa Fe province, is the exception to Argentina's low violence. Drug-trafficking groups operate there, and both the US and 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 single it out. National figures show robberies and homicides falling in 2025, but stay central if you go.

Protests are frequent and are the main reason Argentina fell on the Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary 2026, where it ranks 72nd of 163. The report links the decline to unrest over the government's austerity programme; in March 2025 police met a pensioners' protest in Buenos Aires with force that left hundreds injured. Marches cluster around Congress and the Casa Rosada, and pickets sometimes block the main roads into the capital. Avoid them; they rarely affect tourist areas for long.

Roads are the bigger risk

Argentina is big and visitors often drive or take buses long distances. WHO estimatedWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 14.1 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019. The national road safety agency (ANSV) counted 4,060 deaths in 2025, or 8.8 per 100,000. That is lower than the WHO figure but still several times the rate in the UK. Misiones province, which includes Iguazú, had the highest rate at 17.9. Overtaking on two-lane routes such as Ruta 40 is the classic danger; drive by day and do not rush long legs.

Long-distance buses are comfortable and widely used. 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 warns that flights are often delayed or cancelled, so leave slack around international connections.

Health and nature

Medical care is good in Buenos Aires and the larger cities, though private care is expensive. The north-east, including Iguazú, has dengue, Zika and yellow fever risk. Hantavirus, spread by wild rodents, occurs in parts of Patagonia and the north; the US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary notes a CDC Level 1 notice for Andes virus, with very low risk for most travellers. Altitude matters in Salta and Jujuy and on Aconcagua, where helicopter rescues are normally charged to the climber.

Earthquakes are a risk in Mendoza, San Juan, Salta and Jujuy. Flash floods hit Buenos Aires province after heavy rain, and wildfires in Patagonia can close roads in summer.

How to stay safe in Argentina

• Keep your phone out of sight at street corners and on café tables.
• Use radio taxis with a logo on the door or an app, not unmarked cars.
• Hold on to your bag at stations, terminals and hostel desks.
• In La Boca, stay within the Caminito tourist area.
• Drive in daylight and avoid overtaking on blind stretches.
• Emergency numbers: police 911, ambulance 107. Buenos Aires has a 24-hour tourist police line on +54 911 5050 9260.

How we scored it

Conflict (80), health (78) and violent crime (77) are Argentina's strong points, backed by a record low homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary and no areas under travel warnings. Petty crime (58) and road safety (60) are the weakest factors. We scored roads mainly on the WHO estimateWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary, which is higher than the national count.