180 countries ranked by safety, peace, freedom and LGBT+ equality
Visiting: Not RecommendedLGBT+ visiting: Not Recommended
Seven hundred islands, most with nobody on them: swimming pigs in the Exumas, Eleuthera's pink sand, bonefish flats that anglers dream about for decades. The Bahamas' crime problem is overwhelmingly a Nassau story — the out islands run at a different, gentler frequency. Skip the capital, or transit it briskly, and island-hop your way to the quiet.
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
The Bahamas: 29.9
Ranked 6th in the world for the highest homicide rate.
29.9 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 — a high rate by any standard.
Higher than 95% of the 230 countries and territories measured.
How peaceful the country is — lower is better.
The Bahamas: 1.9
Ranked 72nd most peaceful country in the world.
The GPI skips most small island states; 1.86 is our estimate with its published methodology.
One of the world's higher homicide rates (30 per 100,000, concentrated in Nassau far from the resort areas) plus guns trafficked from the US do nearly all the work here.
Personal and economic freedom — higher is better.
The Bahamas: 7.7
Ranked 52nd freest country in the world.
Freer than 72% of the 165 countries measured — 7.79 out of 10.
Day-to-day life (speech, movement, religion) scores 8.43; doing business and owning property, 6.90.
LGBT+ equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
The Bahamas: 3.0
Ranked 74th least equal in the world for LGBT+ people.
Ranks behind 60% of the 197 countries scored for LGBT+ equality — 30 out of 100.
The law runs ahead of public opinion here — legal protections score 44 out of 100, everyday attitudes 16.