Grenada

Is Grenada safe to visit?

For most visitors, yes. Grenada is a quiet island where the crime a tourist is likely to meet is theft: a bag left on the beach, a burgled villa, a car broken into. 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 most crime is non-violent and opportunistic. The US rates Grenada Level 2, "exercise increased caution", for crime, and warns that violent crime can happen anywhere on the island. We score Grenada 70, about level with Barbados and well above Saint Lucia.

How much violent crime is there?

Grenada has about 117,000 people, so one or two killings move the rate sharply. UNODC rates ranged from 4.3 to 13.8 per 100,000 between 2019 and 2023, and averaged 10.1. That is why we look at several years, not the latest one. The police reported 18 homicides in 2024, about 15 per 100,000, and said 17 had been solved. We could not find an official 2025 total.

Those numbers put Grenada well below Saint Lucia's rate of nearly 40 per 100,000 but far above Europe. 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 Americans in Grenada have been victims of armed robbery, assault, burglary and rape, that some have been killed, and that police response is slower than at home.

The practical answer is about where you sleep and how you get home. Pick a villa or apartment with good locks and grilles, lock up at night, and take a licensed taxi after dark instead of walking back along the road.

Hurricanes: Ivan, Beryl and the season

Grenada sits at the southern end of the hurricane belt and was long thought to be mostly out of reach. Two storms ended that idea. Hurricane Ivan in September 2004 killed 39 people in Grenada and damaged or destroyed more than 14,000 homes, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Then on 1 July 2024, Hurricane Beryl came ashore on Carriacou with winds of about 120 knots, a category 4 storm and the strongest of record to make landfall on Grenada or its islands. The NHC reports that 99% of buildings on Carriacou and 70% on Petite Martinique were damaged or destroyed, including Carriacou's only hospital. Three people died, two on Carriacou and one on Grenada, and damage was put at US$218 million. On the main island the airport recorded gusts of 105 knots.

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 still says Carriacou and Petite Martinique have reduced tourist facilities while rebuilding continues. If you are heading there, confirm your accommodation, ferry and any medical needs before you go.

The season runs from June to November. The FCDO also asks visitors to check the alert level of Kick 'em Jenny, an active underwater volcano about 5 miles off the coast, and to respect any sea exclusion zone around it.

Roads, taxis and the sea

Road deaths are moderate. WHO estimatesWHO 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 6.4 road deaths per 100,000 in 2021, the figure we score on, although Grenada has no country profile in WHO's 2023 road safety report. The older World Bank series gives 8.0 for 2019 and about 8.1 on average from 2015 to 2019, roughly ten deaths a year.

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 narrow rural roads with blind corners, potholes and speed bumps, drivers who do not signal, pedestrians in the road and unlit stretches at night, and says minibus drivers often break the speed limit. Do not stop if pedestrians flag you down. Taxis have no meters; standard fares exist for most routes, so agree the price in EC dollars before you set off.

The sea deserves respect too. The FCDO says currents can be deceptively strong and many beaches have no lifeguards or warning flags, so ask locally before swimming away from the main hotel beaches.

Health care

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 in St George's can deal with many problems, but serious cases may need evacuation and treatment is expensive, so check that your insurance covers an air ambulance. Mosquitoes spread dengue and Zika; CDC does not recommend yellow fever vaccination for travel from the US. On Carriacou, medical care is more limited since Beryl.

How to stay safe in Grenada

• Lock villa doors and windows, and secure yachts at anchor.
• Avoid isolated beaches and walking off main roads after dark.
• Take extra care at street and beach parties and during Spicemas carnival in August.
• Agree taxi fares before the ride.
• Do not wear camouflage clothing; it is illegal, including for children.
• Emergency numbers: 911 police and fire; ambulance 434 in St George's.

How we scored it

Conflict (88) is the strongest factor: no terrorism and no unrest. Natural hazards (55) are the weakest, because two hurricanes in 20 years caused severe damage. Violent crime (55) reflects 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 between 8 and 20 per 100,000 in most recent years. Road safety (81) is good, and health (68) and petty crime (68) are middling. Confidence is medium: homicide counts are small and swing a lot, and the road figure is a WHO model estimate.