🇬🇹 Republic of Guatemala
Visiting: Dangerous
There are real risks in Guatemala. Violent crime is the defining risk: homicide ranks 174th, one of the highest rates in the world. Nothing ranks highly here: there is some exposure to conflict, ranking 80th, and freedom is only partly protected, at 92nd. LGBT rights are limited, ranking 93rd, and women's safety is poor, at 144th.
Homicide
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Guatemala: 22.8
Ranked 7th in the world for the highest homicide rate.
Why this rank?
Twenty-three killings per 100,000 people a year is more than twice the ten that marks the deadliest countries.
Is it safe to visit?
A real risk for a visitor. 4,189 killings in 2024, nearly four times the world average.
Road Fatalities
Road-traffic deaths per 100,000 people per year — lower is better.
Guatemala: 13.4
Ranked 84th in the world for the deadliest roads.
Why this rank?
Thirteen deaths per 100,000 people a year is just below the world average of fifteen.
Is it safe to visit?
Reasonable in a car. Half the deaths are motorcyclists and a third are people on foot.
Why we updated the score?
The WHO's 2021 figure was Guatemala's own count. The police traffic department has published 2025, with 2,432 deaths, the most in fifteen years, so we've used the newer count.
Conflict
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.
Guatemala: 1.40
Ranked 80th least conflict-affected country in the world.
Why this rank?
No conflict death is recorded in Guatemala in the last five years. The last one the Uppsala conflict database has was in September 2007.
Is it safe to visit?
Safe. Nothing in five years where the state was fighting. The gang war in Guatemala City is a crime story, counted under Homicide.
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.
Guatemala: 6.09
Ranked 89th least free country in the world.
Why this rank?
In Guatemala the lowest are press and due process at 1. Total 13 of 24.
Is it safe to visit?
Regular, generally free elections, but organised crime and corruption severely impact government. Journalists and anti-corruption figures risk attack and judicial persecution. Press and due process are the low ratings.
LGBT Rights
LGBT equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Guatemala: 3.6
Ranked 88th least equal in the world for LGBT people.
Why this rank?
Same-sex acts are legal with no protections. Congress passed a harsh anti-trans and anti-marriage bill in 2022, shelved only after a veto threat. The law index sits at 40, public opinion at 31.
Is it safe to visit?
Reasonable, with discretion. High violence against trans people and strong religious conservatism keep most lives closeted.
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.
Guatemala: 6.14
Ranked 37th least safe country in the world for women.
Why this rank?
Partner violence is seven percent. Fewer than half of women feel safe out alone at night, the courts rate poorly for women, and attacks on women were recorded through 2024.
Is it safe to visit?
Take care as a woman travelling alone in Guatemala.