A Guide to the Safest and Most Dangerous Caribbean Islands

Montserrat, nicknamed "The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean" both for its terrain and the heritage of its inhabitants, is a British territory in the Leeward Islands is considered to be the safest island in the Caribbean, with its last recorded murder occurring in 2008, according to ​Nation Master. 

St. Barts is short for Saint Barthélemy. This Francophone island is a French overseas collectivity. Known as a party place for the rich and famous, it is also dubbed safe due to its murder rate of zero. 

The British Virgin Islands consists of Tortola, the largest and most inhabited island, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Josh Van Dyke, and over 50 more smaller islands and cays. The murder rate was last recorded at 2 per 100,000 back in 2006, making it a very safe destination for travelers.

The Cayman Islands is another British Overseas Territory widely known as a financial haven for wealthy individuals, and thus, is very safe for travelers. The ​murder rate is fairly low, and around the same as the United States (4.7 per 100,000 population).

Bonaire is a part of the ABC islands and is a special municipality of the Netherlands. Unlike most Caribbean islands, it is located outside of Hurricane Alley and years go by without a single homicide on the island. However, in May 2017 two murders occurred within 24 hours, to the shock and horror of both travelers and locals alike.

Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign state in the Americas and British Commonwealth. It is nicknamed the "Land of 365 Beaches" and maintains a​ very low crime rate.

Martinique is an overseas region of France located in the Lesser Antilles. While it has the highest murder rate of the islands on this list, the rate was still low at just 17, recorded in 2009. 

The United States territory Puerto Rico makes the list due to the high murder rate of 24.4 per 100,000 that has only increased since the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Maria in September 2017.

Trinidad and Tobago is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations and maintains a high murder rate, 472 as of 2010.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, has an extraordinarily high murder rate, at 2,513 recorded in 2011 alone.

St. Kitts and Nevis, short for the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is located in the Leeward Islands. Its capital city, Basseterre, has the highest murder rate of any capital city in the world, and the overall homicide rate is the 8th highest across the globe. It goes without saying that traveling to this country is at your own risk. 

Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates in the world, but 70 percent of all crime is linked to the drug trade. Locals advise travelers to avoid some troubled spots in Kingston, Montego Bay, and other smaller cities.