Ranking
Safest Countries in North America 2026
Every independent country on the North American continent, which runs from Canada to Panama and takes in the Caribbean islands. That is 23 countries. Each score is built for visitors and combines homicide, conflict and terrorism, road deaths, health care, natural hazards and petty crime. Open any country for the numbers and the official travel advice.
Updated · Scores update with each page
The ranking
Canada
Canada is a safe country for most visitors, with a homicide rate of about 1.9 per 100,000 and a Level 1 US advisory. The risks to plan for are outdoors ones: summer wildfires and smoke, winter driving, wildlife and very long distances to help.
Score 84, grade BUnited States
The United States is safe for most visitors, and crime fell sharply in 2025. It still has far more homicides and road deaths than Western Europe or Japan, a severe terrorism and political-violence picture, and medical costs that make travel insurance essential.
Score 72, grade BAntigua 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 CPanama
Panama City, Bocas del Toro, Boquete and the San Blas islands are visited safely by most travellers, and the US rates Panama Level 2. Gang killings in Panamá and Colón provinces keep homicides near 13 per 100,000, the Darién jungle is off limits, and roads and protests are the other risks.
Score 67, grade CEl Salvador
El Salvador has gone from one of the most violent countries in the world to one of the calmest in the Americas, with 82 murders recorded in 2025 on a narrow government count, and the US rates it Level 1. Rights groups say the state of exception behind this led to mass arbitrary arrests and deaths in custody.
Score 64, 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 CCosta Rica
Costa Rica is politically calm with good medical care, and most visitors to its beaches and cloud forests have no trouble. But homicides have stayed near record highs, at 16.7 per 100,000 in 2025, mostly gang violence in San José, Limón and Puntarenas. Visitors mostly meet car theft and rip currents.
Score 61, 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 CBelize
Most visitors to Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Placencia and San Ignacio have no serious trouble, and the US rates Belize Level 2. But gang violence centred on Belize City's Southside gives this small country a homicide rate of about 21.8 per 100,000, care is limited, and hurricanes threaten from June to November.
Score 53, grade DMexico
Mexico's national numbers are grim, with 21.4 homicides per 100,000 people in 2025, but the violence is concentrated in cartel-contested states. Most visitors to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Yucatán and the Caribbean resorts have trouble-free trips if they follow state-level advice and avoid driving at night.
Score 53, grade DJamaica
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 DNicaragua
Granada, León, San Juan del Sur and Ometepe see fairly little violent crime against visitors. The real risk is political. UN experts document arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and expulsions of critics, and the US rates Nicaragua Level 3 over wrongful detention. Roads, health care and volcanoes add to it.
Score 52, grade DGuatemala
Most visitors to Antigua, Lake Atitlán and Tikal have good trips, but Guatemala is not an easy country. Homicides rose about 10% in 2025 to some 17 per 100,000, gangs extort buses and shops, armed robbers target tourist routes, and Fuego, Central America's most active volcano, forced evacuations again in August 2026.
Score 49, grade DHonduras
Honduras is less violent than a decade ago, but its 2025 homicide rate of about 26 per 100,000 is still among the highest in the Americas. Most visitors stick to the Bay Islands and Copán and have no trouble. The US says reconsider travel, and a state of exception covers most municipalities.
Score 45, 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 countries are on the list
The rule is the continent as most atlases draw it: the US, Canada and Mexico, the seven countries of Central America and the 13 independent island nations of the Caribbean, which makes 23 countries, all of which we score. Territories such as Greenland, Puerto Rico and Bermuda are left out because they have no country page of their own.
This is wider than many people expect, since "North America" often means just the US and Canada, or those two plus Mexico. If you want the narrower regions, our lists of the safest countries in Central America and the safest Caribbean islands cover them on their own.
How the order is built
Every country has its own page with six scored factors. Violent crime carries 25%, conflict and terrorism and road safety 20% each, health 15%, and natural hazards and petty crime 10% each. The list sorts those scores from the highest down and moves whenever we update a page. The rubrics are on how we score countries.
A country's overall score can never be more than 35 points above its conflict score. On this list the cap does not bind. Even in Haiti, where conflict scores very low, weak crime, health and roads figures keep the overall score below the ceiling.
Why Canada leads
Canada 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 below 2 per 100,000, about 5 road deaths per 100,000, no armed conflict and good hospitals. It loses its points to the outdoors: 2025 was its second-worst wildfire season on record, and winter storms and wildlife make rural driving harder than in Europe.
The United States and the best Caribbean islands come next, close together. US murders fell to a 70-year low in 2025, but the US still has more road deaths and a higher terrorism threat than Canada, and medical bills make travel insurance essential.
What decides the rest of the order
Violent crime, more than anything. Most countries south of the US border have 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 Canada's, often 15 to 40 per 100,000, mostly from gang and cartel violence away from tourist areas. El Salvador is the exception: it now records very few murders, on a narrow official count, after mass arrests since 2022. The small Caribbean states of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Barbados lead that group, with Panama and El Salvador close behind.
Mexico sits in the lower half. INEGI counted 27,989 suspected homicides in 2025, 21.4 per 100,000, mostly in cartel-contested states, and the US rates six states do not travel. Near the bottom, Jamaica still has a high murder rate despite the sharp fall in 2025, Guatemala has armed robbery on tourist routes and Honduras one of the highest homicide rates in the Americas. Haiti is last.
What the score does not tell you
A country score is an average for the whole country. In Mexico, Jamaica or the Dominican Republic, the resort areas most visitors see are far calmer than the national murder rate suggests, and our pages for Cancún and Mexico City show how much one place can differ. Hurricane season runs from June to November across most of the region. Check the official advice for the exact state or island you plan to visit, not only the country.
Questions
What is the safest country in North America?
Canada, by a clear margin. Police recorded 1.91 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 people in 2024, less than half the US rate, the US rates it Level 1, and Canada is 14th of 163 countries on the 2026 Global Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary. Its risks are outdoors ones, such as wildfire smoke in summer, winter roads, wildlife and long distances to help.
Is Canada safer than the US?
Yes, on almost every measure we score. The US had 4.1 murders per 100,000 in 2025 on the FBI's estimate, a 70-year low but still about twice Canada's rate, and 12.2 road deaths per 100,000 in 2023 against about 5 in Canada. The FCDO 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 also rates the US terrorism threat higher. US hospitals are excellent, but uninsured treatment can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Is Mexico safe to visit?
It depends on the state. Mexico recorded 21.4 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 in 2025, 17% fewer than in 2024, but most of the killing is between cartels in contested states, and the US rates six states Level 4, do not travel. Most visitors to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Yucatán and the Caribbean resorts have no trouble if they follow the state-level advice and do not drive at night. See the Mexico page.
Are Central America and the Caribbean part of North America?
Yes, on the usual definition of the continent, which runs from Canada to the border of Panama and Colombia and includes the Caribbean islands. That is the rule for this list. For the narrower regions, see our rankings of Central America and the Caribbean islands.
What is the safest country in Central America or the Caribbean?
In the Caribbean, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Barbados lead, all with fewer killings than most of their neighbours. In Central America, Panama, El Salvador and Costa Rica are at the top, and Panama has by far the safest roads in the region. All six are well below Canada, and the best Caribbean islands come close to the US.
Which is the most dangerous country in North America?
Haiti. Gangs control most of Port-au-Prince, kidnapping is widespread, and the US and UK both say do not travel. Honduras is also near the bottom, with about 26 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 people in 2025 and a state of exception covering most of its municipalities.
Why are Greenland, Puerto Rico and Bermuda not on this list?
We rank countries, and Greenland belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark, Puerto Rico to the US and Bermuda to the UK. The same goes for the Cayman Islands, Aruba and the other Caribbean territories. They have no country page of their own, so they cannot appear in a ranking of countries.