Philippines

Is the Philippines safe to visit?

The parts of the Philippines most tourists see are generally safe, but the country carries more risk than its neighbours. UNODC counted 4.35 homicides per 100,000Homicide 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 people in 2023, far above Singapore, 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 warns of armed street robbery in Manila. Around 20 typhoons a year and frequent earthquakes make nature a bigger threat to visitors than crime. Terrorism and kidnapping are concentrated in western Mindanao and the Sulu islands, far from Palawan, Boracay and Bohol. We score the Philippines 55, below Thailand and just above Mexico.

Typhoons, earthquakes and volcanoes

Few countries are hit as often by natural disasters. Typhoon season runs mostly from June to November, and recent storms have been severe. In November 2025, Typhoon Kalmaegi, known locally as Tino, flooded Cebu and Negros. The Office of Civil Defense counted 114 dead by 6 November, with many more missing, and President Marcos declared a state of national calamity. It came just over a month after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu near Bogo City on 30 September 2025.

Volcanoes add a third hazard. Mayon in Albay was at alert level 3 in 2026, and entry to Taal Volcano Island south of Manila is banned. Mudflows after heavy rain have buried homes near Kanlaon on Negros.

Plan island trips for December to April when you can. In the wet season, keep spare days, check the PAGASA forecast every morning and do not take a boat when a storm signal is up. 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 emergency services have limited capacity in large disasters, so in a remote resort you may be on your own for a while.

Crime in Manila and other cities

Violent crime has fallen a lot since 2016, when the 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 was about 10.5 per 100,000, but it remains higher than in most of Southeast Asia. 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 high levels of street crime and robbery in Manila and other large cities, sometimes with guns. Jeepneys and buses have been held up at gunpoint, and some taxi drivers have robbed passengers with accomplices, including on airport runs. Use Grab, the official airport taxis or a hotel transfer, keep phones and jewellery out of sight, and hand over valuables if threatened.

Two other warnings come up often in consular cases. Kidnapping for ransom is not limited to terrorists; the FCDO says criminal gangs do it too. And the FCDO describes an extortion pattern in which a new acquaintance, sometimes a woman with children, threatens to report a male tourist for rape or child abuse unless he pays. Penalties for abuse are extremely long, and the threat alone can be expensive.

Mindanao and the south

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 advises against all travel to western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, and against all but essential travel to the rest of Mindanao. Groups including Abu Sayyaf and Islamic State affiliates have bombed churches and markets, among them the 2019 Jolo cathedral bombing that killed 27 people and an explosion at a Catholic mass in Marawi in December 2023 that killed 4. Westerners have been kidnapped there, including British nationals in 2019. Three islands are exceptions: Siargao, Camiguin and Dinagat. Fly to them directly.

Visiting against this advice can void your travel insurance. The FCDO also says terrorist groups intend to attack anywhere in the country, including Manila's malls and transport, though attacks outside the south are rare.

Boats, roads and health

Getting between islands is the everyday risk. 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 ferry and passenger boat network has a poor safety record, boats sometimes lack lifesaving equipment and rescue capacity is limited. Choose larger operators, find your life jacket before departure, and skip overloaded bancas in rough weather. Roads are also hazardous. 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 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, and the FCDO advises against driving at night.

Dengue is common all year and peaks in the rainy months. Private hospitals in Manila and Cebu are good, but some tourist islands have no quick access to emergency care, and intensive care can cost more than £1,000 a day. Buy insurance that includes medical evacuation, especially for diving trips. Beaches rarely have lifeguards, and the FCDO says British visitors regularly get into trouble in the sea.

How to stay safe in the Philippines

• Book airport rides through Grab or your hotel, not street taxis.
• Stay out of mainland Mindanao and the Sulu islands; fly direct to Siargao or Camiguin.
• Travel between islands in daylight and in good weather, and check for life jackets.
• Watch PAGASA typhoon warnings and keep spare days from June to November.
• Never carry or buy drugs, however small the amount.
• Call 911 in an emergency.

How we scored it

Natural hazards (30) are the weakest factor, followed by conflict (45), which reflects the advice against travel to a large part of Mindanao. Petty crime (50) and violent crime (68) are weaker than in Vietnam or Indonesia, while road safety (62) is better than in Thailand or Vietnam.