Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Is St Vincent and the Grenadines safe to visit?

For most visitors, yes, but the islands are less calm than their Level 1 US rating suggests. The US calls the country "generally a safe destination". 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 agrees that most visits are trouble-free, then adds that gang-related gun murders have increased and that some have happened in populated and public places. We score it 58, just above Saint Lucia (56), where the murder rate is a little lower but roads are worse, and level with St Kitts and Nevis.

Why the murder rate is so high

About 100,000 people live in St Vincent and the Grenadines, so every killing adds 1 to the rate per 100,000. That makes single years noisy, but the trend is clear. UNODC rates rose from 18.2 in 2019 to 31.1 in 2021 and 51.3 in 2023. InSight Crime, using unofficial counts, puts 2024 at 54 and 2025 at 40, a fall of about a quarter but still among the highest in the region. Over 2021-2025 the average was about 44 per 100,000, worse than Saint Lucia's 39.

2026 has not continued the improvement. Police counted the 32nd homicide of the year on 18 August, and on 25 September four people were shot dead in Green Hill, just outside Kingstown. InSight Crime describes five or six criminal groups fighting over the local drug market, with the islands used as a transit point for cocaine. 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's warning about public places is why we do not treat this as a risk for residents only.

What that means in practice:

• Do not walk around Kingstown or outlying villages late at night; take a licensed taxi.
• Avoid isolated beaches after dark and take care at street parties, especially during Vincy Mas in early July.
• Watch your drink in bars; the FCDO warns of spiking.
• Lock yachts and holiday rentals, and take care when using ATMs.

Volcano and hurricanes

The natural risks are serious and recent. La Soufrière, which fills the northern third of St Vincent, erupted explosively in 2020-21. About 18,000 people were evacuated and nobody died. Its 1902 eruption killed more than 1,565 people, according to the UWI Seismic Research Centre. Kick 'em Jenny, an underwater volcano off Grenada, has exclusion zones that sailors must respect.

On 1 July 2024 Hurricane Beryl brought category 4 winds to the southern Grenadines. The National Hurricane Center reports 8 deaths in the country, 80-90% of homes damaged or destroyed on Canouan, Mayreau and Union, and about US$231 million of damage. 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 hotels and services on Union, Mayreau and the smallest islands were still affected, so confirm your booking if you are going there. Hurricane season runs from June to November.

Roads, sea and health care

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 7.4 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019. That figure is modelled and old, and WHO's 2023 road safety report has no country profile for St Vincent, so there is no 2021 estimate to compare; we score on the 2019 series. The roads themselves are demanding: narrow, steep and winding, with blind corners, potholes and drops without barriers on minor roads. 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 taxi vans make random stops and that pedestrians often walk on the road. You need a temporary local licence, which hire firms arrange. If you have a crash at night in a remote area, the FCDO advises driving on to the nearest police station rather than waiting by the road. Taxis are not metered; there are set fares, so agree the price in local currency before you get in.

At sea, some beaches have rip currents and few have lifeguards or warning flags. The FCDO says the main government hospital can cope with many treatments, but serious cases may need evacuation. Dengue and Zika are present; CDC recommends hepatitis A vaccination. Wearing camouflage clothing is illegal, and drug penalties are severe.

How we scored it

Conflict (88) and road safety (75) are the strongest factors, though the road score rests on an old WHO model. Violent crime (18) is the weakest; we used the 2021-2025 average rather than the better 2025 figure, and 2026 counts point back up. Natural hazards (50) reflect an active volcano and two disasters in four years. Confidence is medium because the latest homicide counts come from unofficial tallies and news reports.