El Salvador

Is El Salvador safe to visit?

Yes, for most travellers, and that is a remarkable sentence to write about El Salvador. In 2018 UNODC data put its 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 53.8 per 100,000, among the highest in the world. In 2025 the government recorded 82 murders, a rate of about 1.3, according to InSight Crime. The US State Department now rates El Salvador Level 1 (exercise normal precautions). We score El Salvador 64, well above neighbouring Honduras (45).

The score is not higher for two reasons. The roads and natural hazards are a much bigger risk to visitors than crime now is. And the security came through a state of exception that suspends basic legal protections, which affects anyone who ends up on the wrong side of the police.

How did El Salvador get so safe?

In March 2022, in response to a surge in gang murders, the government declared a "state of exception". It lets police arrest anyone they suspect of gang involvement and suspends the right to a speedy trial and access to a lawyer. The legislature has extended it more than 40 times. More than 90,000 people have been detained under it, and the US says gang activity has decreased dramatically since then. 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 reports that fewer than 10% of Salvadorans now feel unsafe walking alone, against 70% in 2017.

Two caveats apply to the numbers. InSight Crime says the government uses a much narrower definition of homicide than other countries, leaving out people killed by police, deaths in prison and bodies found in clandestine graves, and that the lack of transparency makes the figures hard to check. Even so, surveys of how safe people feel and the experience of visitors point the same way: violence has fallen dramatically.

What do human-rights groups say?

The criticism is serious and well documented. An International Group of Experts (GIPES) told a US congressional hearing in April 2026 that thousands of the detentions were arbitrary, that President Nayib Bukele himself had acknowledged 8,000 arrests without legal grounds, that at least 403 people had died in state custody, including four children, and that 540 enforced disappearances had been documented by February 2025. The group concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe crimes against humanity have been committed. In May 2026 UN human-rights experts said they were alarmed by the year-long pre-trial detention of a prominent human-rights lawyer and called for her release. The government says the measures are still needed because gangs could regroup, according to 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.

For a visitor this matters in a practical way. The FCDO says police may detain people they suspect of being gang members, that hearings for more than 100 defendants at once are common, and that the government may not allow consular access. 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 says several US citizens have been detained under the state of exception and have yet to face trial. Carry a copy of your passport, stay away from demonstrations (foreigners are barred from political activity and can be deported), and do not argue at checkpoints.

Roads, volcanoes and the sea

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 20.9 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, more than in Mexico. 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 poor lane discipline, stolen manhole covers and unsurfaced roads in remote areas, and US government staff may not drive between cities after dark because of unlit, hilly roads and landslides. Armed robbers still target cars stopped at junctions, so keep doors locked.

El Salvador sits on an active volcanic chain, with at least six monitored volcanoes, and minor earthquakes are frequent. Climb volcanoes such as Santa Ana with a guide and in daylight. The rainy season from June to November brings flooding and landslides. On the surf coast, the FCDO warns of strong undertows, particularly around La Bocana de San Diego, and very few lifeguards.

Health care

Dengue is present, tap water may be contaminated and bottled water is cheap. 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 state hospitals are understaffed and poorly equipped and that care outside San Salvador is basic, so use private hospitals in the capital and carry proof of insurance; some hospitals want it before they treat you.

How to stay safe in El Salvador

• Use private intercity coaches or shuttles, not the repainted US school buses, which 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 calls unsafe.
• Take radio-dispatched, app or hotel taxis in towns.
• Use ATMs inside shopping centres, and avoid unlit ones at night.
• Cross the Guatemalan border in the morning.
• Swim only on lifeguarded or busy beaches, and never after drinking.
• Call 911 for police, fire or ambulance; the tourist police (POLITUR) can help with security questions.

How we scored it

Violent crime (82) is now a strength, though we do not score it higher because the official count leaves out several kinds of killing. Conflict (72) reflects no armed threat but sweeping arrest powers that can reach foreigners. Road safety (44) and natural hazards (45) are the weakest factors and the most likely things to hurt a visitor.