Top Ten Safest Cities in Latin America
Latin America is known as a violent region due to drug cartels and other gang activity. We all know about crime hotspots throughout the region, like Venezuela, Honduras, and a few cities on the US-Mexico border.However, with over 600,000,000 residents, not all of Latin America is dangerous, with some cities being safer than most of the US. This could be due to heavy policing, low poverty, or, most commonly, lack of strategic use by gangs.
The capital city of El Salvador, San Salvador is situated in a valley surrounded by volcanoes. As the country's political, cultural, and financial center, the city is home to important Salvadoran institutions, including the University of El Salvador. Known for its active nightlife and shopping areas,... read more Before 2022, San Salvador was one of the most dangerous places in Latin America. What changed? President Bukele's gang crackdown has resulted in over 75,000 criminals being imprisoned, drastically reducing the gang activity El Salvador was once infamous for.
Today, San Salvador has low crime, even in the poorest slums. As a result, Bukele is the world's most popular democratically elected leader, a fact that reflects El Salvador's significant improvement.
Unlike the rest of the Caribbean, Cuba is safe. There are no gangs, few robberies, and the murder rate is very low. This is largely due to Cuba's controversially significant police presence and surveillance.
While Cuba's police state may not be as extreme as North Korea or Eritrea, it does limit freedom. However, for tourists, it means a lack of danger.
Mérida is in Yucatán, Mexico's safest state, with a murder rate about 10% of the national average, at only 2.19 homicides per 100,000 residents. This discrepancy is so extreme that there are rumors gangs ignore Mérida so the bosses can live there peacefully. While unconfirmed, there's no geographical reason why Mérida should have such a low crime rate.
Quintana Roo, the state to its east, is much more dangerous, and Mérida is near Progreso, a major seaport.
Like the rest of El Salvador, crime in San Miguel has been nearly eradicated. In fact, Wikivoyage doesn't even have a "Stay Safe" section for the city, indicating that formerly violent neighborhoods have calmed down significantly.
Compared to similarly sized U.S. cities, like Eugene (Oregon) and Lexington (Kentucky), San Miguel is safer.
Bolivia is usually South America's safest country, with a murder rate on par with Canada. While El Alto and Santa Cruz are considered dangerous by Bolivian standards, it only means that places like Cochabamba are even safer.
The most dangerous part of Cochabamba is Coronilla Hill, and that's because of alcoholics, not gangsters - a problem seen in cities worldwide, even in Europe. As a result, the slums here aren't as dangerous as those in other Latin American countries.
Argentina is already one of the safest countries in Latin America. While some cities, like Rosario, Tucumán, and Resistencia, are more dangerous, Córdoba is below the national average.
Córdoba has no nearby navigable waterway for drug cartels to use, and it's not near an international border either. This makes Córdoba useless to criminals, so they avoid it.
Coahuila, where Saltillo is located, is another abnormally safe state in Mexico. As one of the richest and cheapest states, there's very little crime. Americans' views on Mexican crime are shaped by the bad states, like Guanajuato. Saltillo isn't in Guanajuato. There are other dangerous states, but Saltillo isn't in any of those either.
A possible reason for the low crime is that, despite being near the U.S. border, there are no freeways on the U.S. side. Drug traffickers prefer cities that connect easily to major cities in the U.S., so they operate in Ciudad Juárez, Tijuana, and Reynosa. They're simply not interested in Saltillo.
São Paulo used to be dangerous, with a murder rate once above Brazil's average. However, that's no longer the case. In fact, it's now one of Brazil's safest states. Like many formerly dangerous cities, São Paulo has cleaned up its crime. Due to its high population and tourist appeal, it received the funds to do so, which is why Brazil's Northeast is currently more dangerous.
Furthermore, even if gangs tried to return, São Paulo is separated from the coast by a steep slope, with few roads cutting through. For criminals, Rio de Janeiro is more convenient.
Guatemala is generally dangerous, but Cobán isn't. It's inland, isolated, and not a useful spot for the drug trade. In December 2010, the Los Zetas gang attempted to occupy much of the territory, but they were quickly removed. To this day, Cobán and the surrounding areas have murder rates far below the Guatemalan average.
Another factor is the informal indigenous justice system. For many accused of crimes, there is no due process - it's guilty until proven innocent. While this may deter tourists, it deters criminals even more.
Camagüey is similar to Havana but possibly more dangerous due to its lack of tourism and government attention. Nevertheless, like the rest of Cuba, Camagüey is still very safe. It has the same police practices, the same central government, and a similar culture to Havana.
As a Caribbean city, Camagüey may or may not have a few gang members, but it's nothing like the situation in Kingston. You may disapprove of Cuba's authoritarian government, but there's no denying its abnormally low crime nationwide.
