Which are the safest countries in South America?

How we chose the countries and what we left out

The Institute for Economics and Peace lists 11 South American countries in its regional table. The ten in our comparison table are all of them except Venezuela, which we discuss in the text because the three governments we read give it advice that sets it apart. Our selection is therefore the index's own regional list, in the index's own order, with one country moved to the prose.

Each country gets three kinds of information, kept separate: its index place and score, the latest intentional homicide rate in the World Bank series that republishes UNODC data, and the advisories. We do not weight or merge them. Australia's Smartraveller site could not be reached when we tried, so its levels are not included.

What the 2026 index says about South America

The Global Peace Index uses 23 indicators in three domains: societal safety and security, ongoing conflict and militarisation. For South America the report gives a regional average score of 2.161. It records the second largest deterioration of any region in 2026, an average two per cent worsening driven mainly by the ongoing conflict domain, with eight of the 11 countries less peaceful than a year earlier.

Uruguay is the most peaceful country in the region and 43rd of 163 worldwide, with a score of 1.754. Colombia is the least peaceful in the region and 141st, with 2.735. A lower number means more peace. Because the index includes conflict and political indicators, a rank can fall for reasons such as protests or armed-group violence in one area.

Uruguay: top of the regional table, with a higher homicide rate than several neighbours

The report attributes Uruguay's first place in the region to comparatively high political stability and low conflict. The World Bank file gives it an intentional homicide rate of 11.25 per 100,000 for 2023, which is higher than the rates for Argentina (4.49), Bolivia (4.42), Chile (6.35) and Paraguay (6.78) in the same year. The index and the homicide figure measure different things, so both are true.

The US rated Uruguay Level 2 in an advisory updated on 27 July 2026. Canada's page advises normal security precautions for the country but a high degree of caution in Montevideo because of crime. The UK page carried no regional warning flag. Neighbourhood differences within the capital matter more than the national figure.

Chile and Paraguay: second and third in the region

Chile scores 1.826 and is 52nd worldwide. The report notes that its homicide rate has tripled since 2017; the World Bank figure for 2023 is 6.35 per 100,000. The US rated Chile Level 2 on 18 August 2026. Canada advises a high degree of caution because of demonstrations, civil unrest and crime, and the UK page for Chile was updated on 18 August 2026 with information on severe weather and flooding in Tocopilla, in the north. Our listings in Santiago are one place to start.

Paraguay scores 1.882 and is 64th. Its latest homicide rate on file is 6.78 for 2023. The US rated it Level 1, exercise normal precautions, on 18 August 2026, while Canada advises a high degree of caution because of increasing crime. The UK page had no regional warning flag. This is a reminder that governments reach different conclusions about the same country.

Argentina: a Level 1 country with named hotspots

Argentina scores 1.922 and is 72nd worldwide, though the report records the largest percentage deterioration in South America in 2026, 6.1 per cent, linked mainly to deaths in internal conflict and to violent demonstrations during protests against austerity measures. Its homicide rate is 4.49 per 100,000 for 2023, the second lowest of the ten countries in our table after Bolivia's 4.42.

The US rated Argentina Level 1 on 9 July 2026. Canada advises normal precautions for the country but a high degree of caution in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires, because of crime including muggings, and in Rosario, citing homicides linked to organised crime. The UK page was updated on 7 May 2026 with information about hantavirus on its health page. Buenos Aires is covered on our page for Buenos Aires.

Bolivia, Guyana and Peru: fifth to seventh in the region

Bolivia scores 2.054 (92nd), Guyana 2.093 (103rd) and Peru 2.120 (107th). Their latest homicide rates are 4.42 per 100,000 for Bolivia (2023), 19.12 for Guyana (2023) and 8.6 for Peru, whose latest value is from 2021. Peru's figure is the oldest in the table, so treat it with care.

The US rated Bolivia and Peru Level 2, updated on 17 August and 3 September 2026, and Guyana Level 3, reconsider travel, on 25 August 2026. Canada advises a high degree of caution for all three. It adds that travellers should avoid all travel to the Chapare Region in Bolivia, and to an area of river valleys known as the VRAEM in Peru. The UK pages for Bolivia and Peru both flagged advice against all but essential travel to parts of each country; the Bolivia update on 22 September 2026 concerned a state of emergency.

Brazil: large, varied and far down the regional table

Brazil scores 2.333 and is 124th worldwide, eighth in the region. Its homicide rate is 19.28 per 100,000 for 2023, but a national average is a poor guide in a country of this size. The US rated Brazil Level 2 on 30 August 2026, and the UK flagged parts of the country for advice against all but essential travel.

Canada advises a high degree of caution and lists border areas for avoiding non-essential travel, and certain favela complexes in Rio de Janeiro for avoiding all travel. The detail in those lists is the useful part: advice that applies to a named place is not advice about the whole country.

Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela: the lowest three places

Venezuela is 133rd (2.516), Ecuador 135th (2.539) and Colombia 141st (2.735). The latest homicide rates on file are 12.65 per 100,000 for Venezuela (2022), 45.72 for Ecuador (2023) and 24.91 for Colombia (2023). The report says Ecuador has had the highest homicide rate in Latin America for the third year in a row, with a security crisis connected to gang violence.

The US rated Ecuador Level 2, updated on 17 August 2026, and Colombia and Venezuela Level 3 (updated 30 March and 26 June 2026). Canada advises a high degree of caution for Colombia and Ecuador and lists border areas where it advises against all travel; for Venezuela it advises against all travel. The UK flagged parts of Colombia and Ecuador, and parts of Venezuela. Colombia's cities are described on our pages such as Medellin. These three countries have regions that visitors reach routinely and regions the advisories advise against, so read the area list.

The ten side by side

The table follows the order of the index's South America table. The homicide column gives the latest value in the World Bank series, with its year. The advisory column gives the US level with the date the State Department last updated it.

Homicide data: what it shows and where it falls short

Most South American countries have a homicide value for 2022 or 2023 in the file we read, which is better coverage than many regions. Peru's latest value, though, is for 2021, and Venezuela's is for 2022. The World Bank also lists a figure of 19.7 per 100,000 for Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole for 2023, against 5.2 for the world; this aggregate includes Caribbean states and is not a South American average.

Homicide is one crime. A country with a moderate rate can still have frequent muggings or theft, and a country with a high rate can have large areas where visitors meet little violence. National figures also hide the places where homicides concentrate, which is why the advisories name cities, border zones and neighbourhoods.

Differences inside countries and between advisories

Four patterns appear in the advisories we read. Border strips attract separate advice, as with Colombia's borders with Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador, and Ecuador's border with Colombia. Specific river-valley and drug-trade areas are named, such as Bolivia's Chapare and Peru's VRAEM. Large cities carry their own notes, such as Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Rosario and Rio de Janeiro. And hazards are often listed apart from crime: the UK pages record severe weather in northern Chile and an El Niño weather event in Ecuador and Peru, both as updates dated between August and early October 2026.

Seasonal and political events also change conditions. The UK's Brazil and Peru updates of late September and early October 2026 refer to elections held on 4 October, and Canada's Bolivia and Chile pages cite demonstrations. Use the dated notes on each official page, and check again shortly before you go.

In the US system, Level 1 means exercise normal precautions, Level 2 increased caution, Level 3 reconsider travel. Canada uses its own wording, from normal security precautions to avoiding all travel. The UK does not use numbered levels; it adds a flag when it advises against all or all but essential travel to a country or part of it. That is why, for example, Paraguay is Level 1 for the US while Canada advises a high degree of caution.

Because the systems differ, we recommend reading the text for the places you plan to visit, not comparing the headline labels. We read the pages on 8 October 2026, and they can change after any event.

Planning a stay

If you choose a longer stay, the neighbourhood is the main decision. Check the official area lists, ask your accommodation about local transport at night, and keep documents and devices out of sight in busy places. A kitchen helps on a long stay, and our guide on how to choose an aparthotel covers what to check.

The table below lists the stays we hold in the countries discussed, in the order given. It is catalogue data, not a safety measure.