🇨🇺 Republic of Cuba
Visiting: Risky
Cuba is safe with caveats. There is no conflict at all, ranking 1st, and LGBT rights are among the very strongest, at 16th. Its weak spot is freedom, which is tightly restricted, placed 155th. Road deaths are low, ranking 44th, violent crime is moderate, at 112th, and women's safety is fair, placed 113th.
Homicide
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Cuba: 5.0
Ranked 69th in the world for the highest homicide rate.
Why this rank?
Five killings per 100,000 people a year is a touch under the world average of 5.8, which is where the risky tier begins.
Is it safe to visit?
Reasonable. Just below the world average, though Cuba hasn't reported since 2019 — the figure is the WHO's estimate.
Road Fatalities
Road-traffic deaths per 100,000 people per year — lower is better.
Cuba: 7.0
Ranked 44th in the world for the safest roads.
Why this rank?
Seven deaths per 100,000 people a year is low but close to seven and a half, which is half the world average.
Is it safe to visit?
Safe by world standards, though rising.
Why we updated the score?
The WHO's 2021 figure was Cuba's own count. The road-safety commission has published 2025, up sharply, so we've used the newer count.
Conflict — world number one
Conflict deaths inside the country in the last twelve months, as recorded by the Uppsala conflict database, civilians killed on purpose, and any UN sanctions or court order over a war. The worst of those sets the colour. Lower is better.
Cuba: 1.00
Ranked 1st least conflict-affected country in the world.
Why this rank?
Nothing on record. The Uppsala conflict database has never recorded a conflict death in Cuba since its records began in 1989.
Is it safe to visit?
Safe. Nothing armed is recorded in five years, and nothing on the island touches a visitor.
Freedom
Six freedoms rated 0–4 by Freedom House — protest, speech, press, religion, movement and due process. The weakest rating sets the colour, and the total places the country inside it — higher is better.
Cuba: 2.31
Ranked 26th least free country in the world.
Why this rank?
In Cuba due process is rated 0, meaning absent, so the courts offer no protection if anything goes wrong. Total 4 of 24.
Is it safe to visit?
Courts offer no protection. A one-party state that outlaws political pluralism, bans independent media and suppresses dissent, with a prominent dissident released into exile in 2025 after reporting torture in detention.
LGBT Rights
LGBT equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Cuba: 7.6
Ranked 16th most equal in the world for LGBT people.
Why this rank?
The 2022 family code, approved by referendum, legalised same-sex marriage and adoption. The law index scores 86, public opinion 66.
Is it safe to visit?
Fine. A remarkable turn given the persecution of the 1960s. State-backed acceptance now, with older prejudice fading unevenly.
Women's Safety
Women's safety — feeling safe out at night, political violence against women, a fair hearing in court, and how normal violence at home is, with the night figure setting a floor on the colour — higher is better.
Cuba: 6.75
Ranked 68th least safe country in the world for women.
Why this rank?
Violence at home is rare and few attacks on women are recorded. The courts are rated near the bottom for women, and that is what pulls the score down.
Is it safe to visit?
A woman travelling alone should take care when visiting Cuba.