Belize

Is Belize safe to visit?

For the trips most people take, yes. Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Placencia, the reef and the Maya sites around San Ignacio see few serious incidents involving visitors, and the US State Department rates Belize Level 2, exercise increased caution. The catch is that, in 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's words, Belize has "one of the highest per capita murder rates in the world", and the violence is not confined to places tourists never pass through.

InSight Crime puts the 2025 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 at 21.8 per 100,000, roughly level with 2024. That is lower than the 28.1 recorded in 2022 and 37.6 in 2018 (UNODC), but close to Honduras, at 26.2 in 2025, and far above Costa Rica. We score Belize 50, between Honduras (45) and Costa Rica (62).

Belize City and the gangs

Most killings are shootings between gangs in Belize City, especially the Southside, the area south of Haulover Creek. The US advises reconsidering travel to the Southside from the canal to Fabers Road. Tourists are not normally targets, says 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, but bystanders get hit.

Violence comes in waves. In May 2025, a run of shootings led to a month-long state of emergency in Belize City and parts of Belize and Cayo districts. On 8 May 2026 the governor-general declared another one covering eleven zones on both sides of Belize City and nine villages in Belize District, including Ladyville, near the international airport. The FCDO removed it from its advice in June 2026, when it had ended.

For visitors this mostly means: transit through Belize City rather than staying there, go straight between the airport, the water taxi terminal and your onward bus or flight, and take registered taxis with green licence plates. The US also notes that police lack resources, most crimes go unsolved, and emergency medical help is often slow or absent.

Outside the city, the FCDO says armed criminals have been active in the forests along the Guatemalan border, near some tourist sites. The Belize Defence Force patrols the area and no incidents involving tourists have been reported. Go to remote Maya sites such as Caracol with a guide.

Theft on the cayes and inland

Theft is the crime most visitors actually meet. 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 San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Placencia and San Ignacio as places where tourists lose cash, cards and phones, sometimes from rented rooms. Lock doors and windows, keep valuables out of sight, use ATMs inside banks or businesses, and use established hotels rather than informal rentals or campsites.

Roads, boats and the reef

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 22.6 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, high for the region. 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 describes potholed, narrow and often unlit roads, poor vehicle maintenance, drink-driving and speeding, and in the rainy season flooded temporary bridges and causeways in Stann Creek and Toledo. Public buses are poorly maintained and many lack seatbelts. Do not drive between towns after dark; US government staff are discouraged from it.

On the water, the FCDO notes injuries and deaths during snorkelling and diving, mostly from weak safety practice and bad weather. Choose licensed operators, skip trips when the weather turns, and check that the boat carries a radio and life jackets. After the hijacking of a small domestic plane in April 2025, the Belize Airports Authority tightened security at municipal airstrips, so allow extra time for island hops.

Hurricanes, disease and medical care

The hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. The cayes and the low-lying coast, including Belize City, are the most exposed. Heavy rain also causes inland flooding; Tropical Storm Sara flooded western Belize. Earthquakes are rare.

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 dengue, malaria, Zika and chikungunya, so use repellent and ask a travel clinic whether you need malaria tablets. Medical care is the bigger issue: facilities are limited, prescription medicines are unreliable, and serious cases are evacuated to the US at the patient's expense. Buy insurance that includes air evacuation.

How we scored it

Violent crime (36) is the weakest factor, set by a 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 above 20 per 100,000. Road safety (40) and health (50) are also low, reflecting high road deaths and the need for evacuation in a serious emergency. Conflict (72) is the strongest factor: there is no political violence, only gang crime handled by states of emergency. Confidence is medium because Belize's small population makes yearly rates swing.