Antigua & Barbuda Ranks Among Top 5 Safest Caribbean Destinations

Antigua and Barbuda has secured the fifth position among the Caribbean’s safest destinations according to the newly released Caribbean Island Safety Index 2025, compiled by travel advisory service Always All Inclusive. The twin island has been described as “safe, scenic, and laid-back.”

The comprehensive data-driven ranking analysed the 10 most popular Caribbean destinations across four major safety categories: travel advisories, crime and tourist safety, hurricane risk, and healthcare infrastructure. Antigua and Barbuda achieved an overall composite score of 8.1 out of 10, placing it firmly among the region’s top-tier safe destinations.

The island nation received perfect scores in the travel advisory category, benefiting from a U.S. State Department Level 1 advisory that recommends travellers “Exercise Normal Precautions.” This classification puts Antigua and Barbuda on par with the world’s safest travel destinations.

Topping the safety rankings was Aruba with a composite score of 9.3, followed by Barbados at 9.2, and Grenada and Curaçao tied at 9.0. The index creators noted that Aruba “earns the #1 spot thanks to a near-perfect safety profile” with “no hurricanes in recent history” and “extremely low crime.”

According to the index, Antigua and Barbuda’s strong performance stems from what researchers described as “strong safety and low tourist crime,” alongside its Level 1 travel advisory status. The report specifically highlighted both Curaçao and Antigua as “underrated safe bets” that “have Level 1 travel advisories, making them great for travellers seeking peace of mind.”

The safety index was created using a weighted scoring system where travel advisories and crime safety each account for 30% of the final score, healthcare access contributes 25%, and hurricane risk makes up 15%. Each destination received scores from 0 to 10 in each category before being combined into the composite ranking.

While Antigua and Barbuda scored well overall, the index noted areas for potential improvement, particularly in hurricane preparedness where it received a score of 6 out of 10, and healthcare infrastructure with a score of 7 out of 10. These scores reflect the island’s location within the hurricane belt and healthcare capacity compared to destinations with more extensive medical facilities.

The lower half of the rankings included Puerto Rico (7.6), Dominican Republic (7.0), Saint Lucia (6.8), The Bahamas (6.5), and Jamaica (5.5). The researchers emphasized that these rankings don’t necessarily mean these destinations are unsafe for tourists, particularly within resort areas.

For perspective, the index included homicide rates from several U.S. cities, noting that “many of these figures are higher than even the most challenged Caribbean islands,” with cities like St. Louis showing rates of 66.1 per 100,000 residents compared to much lower rates across the Caribbean.

The report highlighted several key safety trends from 2019-2025, including that “travel advisories are getting smarter” with the U.S. now issuing “area-specific warnings rather than broad travel bans.” Additionally, the researchers noted that “healthcare is top of mind” for traveller’s post-pandemic, with visitors prioritizing “access to hospitals, urgent care, and emergency transport.”

For Antigua specifically, the index classified it alongside other top-tier destinations as offering travellers the ability to “go beyond the resort” safely, though it recommended standard travel precautions.

The Caribbean Island Safety Index 2025 focused exclusively on the 10 most visited and commercially relevant Caribbean destinations, with researchers noting they excluded some locations “due to inconsistent or missing data across scoring categories” or “ongoing political or safety concerns.”

The comprehensive analysis drew from multiple authoritative sources including the U.S. Department of State, NOAA, UNODC, InSight Crime, PAHO, WHO, and island-specific government data, with all information normalized and scored by the Always All Inclusiveresearch team.

Always All Inclusive indicated they plan to continue updating the index as safety trends evolve, providing ongoing guidance for Caribbean travelers seeking data-driven destination safety information.