Mexico

Is Mexico safe to visit?

It depends on where you go, more than anywhere else in this list. Mexico recorded 27,989 suspected homicides in 2025, according to INEGI, a rate of 21.4 per 100,000 and 16.6% fewer than in 2024. That is still about five times the US rate. But the killing is concentrated among organised crime groups in particular states, and tens of millions of tourists visit Mexico each year without trouble.

We score Mexico 53. That national number hides a wide spread: Yucatán and Mexico City's central neighbourhoods are far safer than the score suggests, while rural Guerrero or Zacatecas is far worse.

A map of the advice

The US State Department rates Mexico Level 2 overall but publishes a level for every state. Six are Level 4, do not travel: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. Baja California, Chihuahua, Guanajuato and Jalisco are at Level 3, reconsider travel. 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's advice against all but essential travel covers:

Area	FCDO exceptions
Guerrero, including Acapulco	Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, if you fly in
Sinaloa	Mazatlán, Los Mochis, toll road 15D, Copper Canyon railway
Michoacán	Morelia and Pátzcuaro via toll roads
Colima	Manzanillo, reached by air or sea
Chihuahua	Chihuahua city, Copper Canyon railway and Creel
Zacatecas and most of Tamaulipas	None for Zacatecas
Tijuana and Tecate	Airport transit and the toll road to the border
Guanajuato south-west of road 45D	Celaya, Irapuato and Salamanca are included
Jalisco south of Lake Chapala, far north	Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta are not affected
Chiapas	40 km strip along Guatemala; Highway 199 from San Cristóbal to Palenque

Note what is not on the list: Mexico City, Oaxaca city, Yucatán (Mérida), Quintana Roo (Cancún, Tulum), Baja California Sur (Los Cabos), Puebla, Querétaro and San Miguel de Allende. These are where most visitors go.

The resort coast

Quintana Roo is not risk-free. 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 reports that rival gangs have clashed in and around Cancún, Tulum and Playa del Carmen, that several shootings since 2021 have hit tourists, and that British travellers have been assaulted, sometimes with hotel staff, taxi drivers or security guards involved. Take extra care downtown after dark. Taxi drivers protesting against Uber have also blocked roads near Cancún's hotels and pulled tourists out of cars.

Acapulco is a different case. Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm, devastated it in October 2023, and the FCDO now advises against all but essential travel there because of crime and the weakened state.

Crime that does target visitors

• Express kidnapping. Criminals force a victim to withdraw cash from ATMs. It is most associated with street taxis in big cities.
• ATM robbery. Use machines inside malls or banks in daylight.
• Virtual kidnapping. Callers claim a relative has been kidnapped and demand a quick transfer. Hang up and call the person.
• Spiking and methanol. Cheap spirits in bars can be tainted; 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 warns that small amounts of methanol can kill.

Roads, quakes and hurricanes

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 12.8 road deaths per 100,000 in 2019, three to four times the UK rate. Drive only in daylight between cities, use toll roads, and choose first-class 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 says have fewer incidents than buses on free roads.

Mexico City sits on an old lake bed that amplifies earthquakes; a quake on 19 September 2017 killed more than 300 people across central Mexico. The city's sirens and the 911 CDMX app give up to a minute of warning. Hurricanes threaten both coasts between June and November. Popocatépetl, visible from Puebla and Mexico City, has a 12 km exclusion zone and its ash sometimes closes Mexico City airport.

How to stay safe in Mexico

• Check the US state-by-state map 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 list for every state you will cross, not just your destination.
• Do not drive between cities after dark.
• Use Uber, DiDi, Cabify or sitio taxis; never flag one on the street at night.
• Carry one card and a little cash; leave the rest in your hotel safe.
• Drink bottled water and buy alcohol from established bars and shops.
• Our Mexico City and Cancún pages cover neighbourhoods in more detail.

How we scored it

Violent crime (38) and conflict (42) are the weakest factors, reflecting national homicide ratesHomicide 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 the large areas under travel warnings. Road safety (66) and health (70) are moderate. Compare Brazil, which has a similar homicide rate and a similar split between safe tourist areas and dangerous ones, and the United States.