Ranking
Safest Countries in South America 2026
The 12 sovereign states of South America, from Colombia and Venezuela in the north to Argentina and Chile in the south, including Guyana and Suriname. Each score is built for visitors and combines homicide, conflict and terrorism, road deaths, health risks, natural hazards and petty crime. Open any country for the numbers, the official travel advice and the sources.
Updated · Scores update with each page
The ranking
Argentina
Argentina is one of the safer countries in Latin America, with a record low 3.6 homicides per 100,000 people in 2025 and a US Level 1 advisory. Visitors mainly meet pickpocketing, phone snatching and scams in Buenos Aires, plus risky long road journeys. Rosario has serious drug-gang violence.
Score 74, grade BUruguay
Uruguay is politically stable, has no terrorism or natural disaster risk to speak of, and ranks first in South America on the Global Peace Index 2026. The catch is crime in and around Montevideo, where gang shootings pushed homicides to 10.3 per 100,000 in 2025, and road deaths that now exceed murders.
Score 70, grade BChile
Chile is one of the safer countries in South America, ranked 52nd on the Global Peace Index 2026, and homicides fell to 5.4 per 100,000 in 2025. Theft and increasingly armed muggings in Santiago and Valparaíso are the main problem for visitors, along with earthquakes, wildfires and unrest in Araucanía.
Score 69, grade CSuriname
Suriname is one of the calmer countries in South America, rated Level 1 by the US and certified malaria-free by WHO in June 2025. Theft and armed robbery do happen in Paramaribo, road deaths are climbing in 2026, and hospitals are basic, so trips to the interior need a reliable operator.
Score 67, grade CParaguay
Paraguay is one of the calmer countries in South America for visitors, with about 6.1 homicides per 100,000 in 2025 and a US Level 1 advisory. The risks are concentrated on the Brazilian border (Ciudad del Este, Pedro Juan Caballero) and in the far north, on the roads, and in dengue and chikungunya outbreaks.
Score 62, grade CPeru
Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca are usually trouble-free, and the US rates Peru Level 2. Homicides rose to about 10.7 per 100,000 in 2025, armed street robbery hits parts of Lima, protests can stop the Machu Picchu trains, and altitude is the commonest health problem.
Score 58, grade CBolivia
Most trips to La Paz, Titicaca, Sucre and Uyuni pass without trouble, and the US rates Bolivia Level 2. The bigger problems are road blockades (a state of exception was declared in June 2026), crash-prone buses, altitude above 3,600 m and express kidnappings by fake taxis and fake police.
Score 56, grade CGuyana
A rewarding but demanding trip. The US says reconsider travel because of crime, with 130 murders in 2025 (about 15.6 per 100,000), and 137 people died on the roads. Malaria is present outside Georgetown, hospitals are basic, and Venezuela's claim to Essequibo keeps the western border tense.
Score 53, grade DBrazil
Brazil is less violent than it was, with 19.1 intentional violent deaths per 100,000 people in 2025, the lowest since records began in 2012. For visitors, the main risks are robbery in big cities, beach theft, drink spiking through dating apps, dengue, and favelas that both the US and UK say to avoid.
Score 52, grade DColombia
Most visitors to Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena and the coffee region have good trips, but Colombia is getting more violent. Homicides reached about 28 per 100,000 in 2025, armed groups control large rural areas, and scopolamine robberies and express kidnappings target tourists in the big cities.
Score 45, grade DVenezuela
Venezuela is in an uncertain transition after US forces seized Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, and twin earthquakes killed more than 6,500 people in June. The UK advises against all but essential travel. Crime, power cuts and hospitals short of medicines are the everyday risks.
Score 43, grade DEcuador
Ecuador had a record 50.9 homicides per 100,000 in 2025, driven by drug gangs on the coast, and the UK advises against seven coastal provinces including Guayaquil. The Galápagos, Quito, Cuenca and the Andes carry far less risk, though theft and express kidnapping occur nationwide.
Score 38, grade F
Which countries are on this list
The list covers the 12 sovereign states of South America, and we score every one of them: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. French Guiana is part of France and the Falkland Islands a British territory, so neither is here. Panama and the rest of the isthmus are in our Central America ranking.
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 country page. The rubrics are on how we score countries.
The overall score can never be more than 35 points above the conflict score. In South America that ceiling does not bind. Venezuela and Colombia have the lowest conflict scores, Colombia with 612 deaths in armed conflict in 2025 by UCDP's count, but their crime and health figures already keep the weighted average below the cap.
What the top countries have in common
The leaders have no armed conflict, stable politics and good hospitals in the cities. Argentina's 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 3.6 per 100,000 in 2025, and Chile's to 5.4. Uruguay has more homicides, about 10.3, but very little risk from terrorism or natural disasters. Visitors to all three mostly meet theft: pickpocketing and phone snatching in Buenos Aires, increasingly armed muggings in Santiago and Valparaíso, and street crime in parts of Montevideo. Long road journeys are the other common risk.
Suriname and Paraguay are calmer than many travellers expect. Both carry a US Level 1 advisory, though Paraguay's risks gather on the Brazilian border around Ciudad del Este and Pedro Juan Caballero, and its roads are among the deadliest on the continent.
Why some well-known countries are lower
Violent crime carries the most weight, and that is what holds Brazil and Colombia back. Brazil's violent death rate is at a record low but still about five times Argentina's 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. Colombia adds armed groups that control large rural areas. Peru and Bolivia sit in the middle: crime is moderate, but protests and road blockades disrupt travel, and altitude affects most visitors to Cusco, La Paz and Uyuni. Ecuador is at the bottom because of its 2025 homicide record, even though the Galápagos and the Andes remain far calmer than the coast.
What the score does not tell you
A country score averages the whole country, and South America's differences are mostly regional. Medellín's tourist districts are not Arauca, and Quito is not Guayaquil. The score also cannot tell you about one bus route or one hike at altitude. Read your government's travel advice for the regions you plan to visit, and the city pages where we have them, before you book.
Questions
What is the safest country in South America?
Argentina, Uruguay and Chile lead the list. Argentina recorded a record low 3.6 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 has a US Level 1 advisory. Uruguay is the most peaceful country in South America 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, with Chile second, but gang shootings around Montevideo pushed Uruguay's homicide rate to 10.3 in 2025.
Is Colombia safe to visit?
Most visitors to Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena and the coffee region have good trips, but Colombia is getting more violent. Homicides reached about 28 per 100,000 in 2025, the most in a decade, and the US says do not travel to four departments. In the cities, scopolamine robberies and express kidnappings target tourists. See the Colombia page.
Is Brazil safe for tourists?
Brazil is less violent than it was, with 19.1 violent deaths per 100,000 people in 2025, the lowest since records began in 2012. Visitors mostly meet robbery in big cities, beach theft and drink spiking through dating apps. The US and Canada both warn against favelas, including Maré and Penha in Rio. Details are on the Brazil page.
Is Peru safe to visit?
Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca are usually trouble-free, and the US rates Peru Level 2. Homicides rose to about 10.7 per 100,000 in 2025, and armed street robbery hits parts of Lima. Protests can stop the Machu Picchu trains, and altitude, about 3,400 m in Cusco, is the most common health problem.
Is Ecuador safe to visit now?
It depends on where you go. Drug gangs drove homicides to a record 50.9 per 100,000 in 2025, and the UK advises against all but essential travel to seven coastal provinces, including Guayas and Guayaquil. The Galápagos, Quito, Cuenca and the Andes carry far less risk, though theft and express kidnapping happen nationwide.
Is Venezuela safe to visit?
Not for most travellers. Venezuela is in an uncertain transition after US forces seized Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, and twin earthquakes killed more than 6,500 people in June. The UK advises against all but essential travel, and Canada against all travel. Crime, power cuts and hospitals short of medicines are the everyday risks.
Are Guyana and Suriname safe?
Suriname is one of the calmer countries in South America, with a US Level 1 advisory and WHO malaria-free status since June 2025. Guyana is harder going. The US says reconsider travel because of crime, with about 15.6 murders per 100,000 people in 2025, and malaria is present outside Georgetown.