Ranking
Safest Caribbean Islands to Visit 2026
Every independent island nation in the Caribbean, from the Bahamas in the north to Trinidad and Tobago off Venezuela. Territories such as Puerto Rico, Aruba and the Cayman Islands are not on the list, because we score countries. Open any island for its murder figures, travel advice and hurricane risk.
Updated · Scores update with each page
The ranking
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is one of the easier Caribbean destinations, rated Level 1 by the US. Police count about a dozen murders a year, roughly 12 per 100,000 on a population of 94,000, rarely involving visitors. The bigger risk is the weather. Hurricane Irma destroyed about 95% of buildings on Barbuda in 2017.
Score 71, grade BGrenada
Grenada is a relaxed island where most crime against visitors is theft from villas, cars and beaches. The US rates it Level 2 for crime, and police counted 10 homicides in 2025 among 117,000 people. Hurricane Beryl wrecked Carriacou in July 2024, and the hurricane season is the main thing to plan around.
Score 70, grade BBarbados
Barbados is one of the calmer Caribbean islands for visitors, and the US rates it Level 1. Petty theft is the usual problem, but about 50 people were killed in each of 2024 and 2025, about 18 per 100,000, mostly in gang shootings away from the tourist coast. Rip currents and hurricanes are the other risks.
Score 69, grade CDominica
Dominica is a calm, rugged island where visitors rarely meet crime, and the US rates it Level 1. Nature is the bigger risk. Hurricane Maria killed 31 people in 2017 and Erika 30 in 2015, roads are steep and slide-prone, and even 10 to 19 homicides a year is a high rate for 66,000 people.
Score 63, grade CCuba
Cuba's danger in 2026 is not mainly crime. Since February the UK has advised against all but essential travel because of grid collapses, shortages of fuel, water and medicines, protests and flight cuts. Crime is rising but still lower than in most of the Caribbean. If you go, bring cash and medicines.
Score 59, grade CThe Bahamas
Most visitors to Nassau, Paradise Island and the Out Islands have no trouble. Murders fell 31% in 2025 to 83, but that is still about 21 per 100,000, almost all on New Providence. For tourists the bigger risks are often on the water, with unregulated jet skis, sharks and hurricanes from June to November.
Score 59, grade CTrinidad and Tobago
Tobago and the guarded parts of Port of Spain are manageable with care, but Trinidad has one of the highest murder rates in the Caribbean. Police counted 369 killings in 2025, down from a record 624 in 2024, still about 27 per 100,000. The US advisory is Level 3 for crime, health and terrorism.
Score 59, grade CSaint Kitts and Nevis
Visitors rarely meet trouble, and the US rates St Kitts and Nevis Level 1. But for a federation of about 47,000 people the murder count is high: 28 in 2024 and about 30 in 2023. 2025 brought only 7. Hurricanes, fast traffic and evacuation for serious illness are the other risks.
Score 58, grade CSaint Lucia
Most resort and honeymoon visitors have no trouble, and the US rates Saint Lucia Level 2. But InSight Crime counts 70 homicides in 2025 and 77 in 2024, about 39 per 100,000, mostly gang shootings, and resort guests have been robbed and assaulted. Steep roads, scams and hurricanes are the other risks.
Score 58, grade CSaint Vincent and the Grenadines
Most visits are trouble-free and the US rates the country Level 1. But gang shootings pushed homicides to 54 in 2024 and 40 in 2025, about 40-54 per 100,000, and the UK warns some happen in public places. Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and La Soufrière's 2021 eruption show the natural risks.
Score 58, grade CDominican Republic
Most visitors to Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo have no trouble, and the homicide rate fell to about 8 to 9 per 100,000 in 2025, a record low. The bigger risks are the roads, among the deadliest in the Americas on WHO's estimate, robberies by thieves on motorbikes, and sexual assaults reported at resorts.
Score 55, grade CJamaica
Most resort visitors have no trouble, and murders fell 42% in 2025 to 673, the fewest in 31 years. But that is still about 24 per 100,000, with gang violence concentrated in parts of Kingston and Montego Bay, and Hurricane Melissa damaged hospitals and roads in the west in October 2025.
Score 52, grade DHaiti
Haiti is not safe to visit in 2026. Armed gangs control most of the capital, UN figures show more than 3,000 people killed in the first half of the year, and kidnappers target vehicles. The US, UK and Canada advise against all travel, US airlines may not fly to Port-au-Prince, and health care is very limited.
Score 15, grade F
Which islands are on the list
The rule is simple: every independent country in the Caribbean that we score. That is 13 island nations, the same sovereign states the UN lists in its Caribbean region. Territories are left out because we score countries, and a territory has no country page of its own. Belize, Guyana and Suriname are Caribbean members of CARICOM but sit on the mainland, so they are in our rankings of Central America and South America instead.
The Bahamas lies in the Atlantic, north of Cuba, not in the Caribbean Sea. It is usually counted as Caribbean anyway, by the UN, by CARICOM and by most travellers, so we include it. Barbados sits east of the main island chain and is counted the same way.
How the order is built
Each country has its own page with six scored factors: violent crime 25%, conflict and terrorism 20%, road safety 20%, health 15%, and natural hazards and petty crime 10% each. The list sorts those scores from the highest down and changes whenever we update a page. A country's score can also never be more than 35 points above its conflict score. That ceiling exists on every page, but on these islands it does not change any result. The details are on how we score countries.
What decides the order here
Violent crime. Almost every island has a Homicide 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 far above Europe's, often 15 to 40 per 100,000, even on calm islands with tiny populations, where 10 or 20 killings a year make a high rate. The killings are mostly gang shootings away from resorts, which is why the US still rates several islands Level 1.
The islands at the top, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Barbados, combine fewer killings with fairly safe roads. Below them the scores bunch together, and each island loses points for a different reason: very high gang violence in Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent, a murder rate that has averaged over 30 per 100,000 plus fast traffic in St Kitts and Nevis, and the crisis of fuel and medicine in Cuba, which has one of the region's lower murder rates.
The large, popular destinations sit lower. Jamaica has a high murder rate despite its record fall in 2025, and the Dominican Republic loses most on its roads, where WHO 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 30.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023. Haiti is at the bottom: the US, UK and Canada advise against all travel there because of gang control of the capital and kidnapping.
What the score does not tell you
A country score is an average for the whole country. Most visitors stay in resorts and tourist districts that are far calmer than the national murder rate suggests, and the pages for Punta Cana, Kingston, Montego Bay, Nassau and Havana show how much one place can differ from its country.
Hurricane season runs from June to November across the region, and Hurricane Melissa (Jamaica, 2025) and Beryl (Grenada's Carriacou, 2024) did serious damage. If you travel in those months, buy insurance that covers cancellation and evacuation, and check the forecast before you book a small-island hop.
Questions
What is the safest Caribbean island for tourists?
Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Barbados are at the top of this list, and the gap between them is small. The US rates Antigua and Barbados Level 1 and Grenada Level 2, and all three have fewer killings for their size than most of the region. Hurricanes are a bigger planning question on all three than crime.
Is Jamaica safe to visit?
Most resort visitors have no trouble, and murders fell 42% in 2025 to 673, the fewest in 31 years. That is still about 24 per 100,000 people, with gang violence concentrated in parts of Kingston and Montego Bay, and the US marks areas in 10 parishes as reconsider travel. Robbery is the motive in most attacks on tourists, so use licensed taxis and be careful at ATMs.
Is the Dominican Republic safe?
For most visitors to Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo, yes. The Homicide 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 fell to a record low of about 8 to 9 per 100,000 in 2025, lower than in most of the Caribbean. The bigger dangers are the roads, among the deadliest in the Americas on WHO's 2023 estimate, bag snatching by thieves on motorbikes and sexual assaults reported at resorts.
Is the Bahamas safe?
Most visitors to Nassau, Paradise Island and the Out Islands have no trouble. Murders fell to 83 in 2025, still about 21 per 100,000, and 76 of them were on New Providence. For tourists the more likely risks are on the water, including unregistered jet-ski operators, plus hurricanes from June to November.
Is Cuba safe to visit right now?
Crime is not the main issue. Since February 2026 the UK has advised against all but essential travel because of power cuts, shortages of fuel, water and medicines, protests and flight cuts. If you go, bring cash, since Visa and Mastercard cards do not work, and bring your own medicines.
Why is Puerto Rico not on this list?
We score countries, and Puerto Rico, Aruba, Curaçao, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos and the US and British Virgin Islands belong to the US, the Kingdom of the Netherlands or the UK. They have no country page of their own, so they cannot appear in a ranking of countries.