Haiti

Is Haiti safe to visit?

No. Both the US State Department (Level 4) and the UK Foreign Office advise against all travel to Haiti. Armed gangs control most of Port-au-Prince, kidnapping for ransom is widespread, and the state cannot protect residents, let alone visitors. We score Haiti 15, well below its neighbour the Dominican Republic (55) and below Venezuela (41).

The UN mission in Haiti, BINUH, counted at least 1,642 people killed from January to March 2026 and 1,408 from April to June. InSight Crime estimates 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 about 68 per 100,000, the highest in its regional round-up, and the UN itself calls its count incomplete because it cannot reach gang-held areas.

Who controls Port-au-Prince?

Mostly the gangs. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, armed groups have taken over neighbourhood after neighbourhood; AP reported in March 2026 that they control about 90% of the capital. 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 says gangs allied in the Viv Ansanm coalition consolidated their hold on the capital and expanded into three of Haiti's ten departments, with more than 1.45 million people displaced. The US has designated some Haitian gangs as terrorist organisations.

The violence is not only from gangs. In April to June 2026, BINUH attributed 55% of victims to gangs and 40% to security force operations against them. Explosive drones killed or injured nine people in that quarter, six of them children. Vigilante groups also kill people they suspect of gang links, and the US warns they have attacked US citizens on rumour alone. Stray bullets are a real risk for people with no part in the fighting.

A national state of emergency has been in force since March 2024. A Kenyan-led police mission arrived that year; it is being replaced by a UN-backed Gang Suppression Force with powers to arrest and detain, staffed by countries including Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador. It was supposed to reach more than 5,500 personnel by October 2026, but deployment has been slow.

Kidnapping and robbery

Kidnapping is the risk that defines travel in Haiti. 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 it can happen anywhere and at any time, that gangs use vehicles or improvised barriers to stop traffic and seize people at gunpoint, and that buses and other public transport are targets as well as private cars. US citizens have been hurt and killed. Missionaries and aid workers are not spared: the FCDO says gangs regard them as legitimate targets.

Everyday crime is also violent. Armed robbers on motorcycles attack in daylight, people are followed from banks and ATMs, and the FCDO names Bel Air, Carrefour, Cité Soleil, downtown Port-au-Prince, Martissant and Pétion-Ville as areas with frequent gang and criminal activity. Crime rises before Christmas, around Carnival and at the start of the school year.

Getting in and out

Access is a problem in itself. 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 of 9 July 2026 says US commercial flights are not operating to or from Port-au-Prince because an FAA notice prohibits them. 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 land border with the Dominican Republic is closed to travellers. The UK has no consular officials in Haiti, and US staff may not leave the embassy compound for non-essential reasons, so help in an emergency is close to nil.

Health, storms and roads

CDC says cholera transmission is widespread in Haiti and recommends malaria tablets for every part of the country, including the cruise port of Labadee. Dengue and Zika are present. 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 medical services as extremely limited and easily overwhelmed, with too few ambulances; hospitals want cash before treating you, and medicines on sale may be expired or poor quality.

Hurricanes and tropical storms hit Haiti from June to November, and the country sits on active fault lines. 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 31.3 road deaths per 100,000 in 2021, the highest in the Americas, though on Haitian roads the bigger threat is the roadblock, not the traffic.

If you must go

Some people still travel to Haiti for family, aid or journalism. If you do:

• Work with an organisation that provides professional security, armoured transport and kidnap insurance.
• Never travel by road at night, and avoid the main routes in and out of Port-au-Prince.
• Vary your routines and keep your travel plans to a small circle.
• Carry enough cash for medical care and bring all your medicines.
• Register with your embassy, which for British nationals is the mission in Santo Domingo.
• For an ambulance call 116, but do not count on one arriving.

How we scored it

Conflict (8), violent crime (10) and petty crime (10) are near the bottom of our range, reflecting gang control of the capital, the region's highest 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 kidnapping on the roads. Health (15) and natural hazards (20) are also very low. Road safety (28) is low too: WHO's 2021 estimate of 31.3 deaths per 100,000 is far above the regional norm, before counting the gang roadblocks.