Uruguay is considered the safest country in South America. For places to visit in Uruguay, the capital city of Montevideo is a popular tourist destination. Although it is a hugely popular destination among visitors, Uruguay is still undervisited compared to its neighbors. The country is one of the smallest in South America, but this does not mean that there is nothing to do with it.
Known for the friendliness of its inhabitants and its beautiful beaches, Uruguay offers an authentic and safe destination without crowds. There's also plenty of wildlife here, which means it's a great choice for nature lovers. Due to Uruguay's geography, there are no real threats of sudden natural disasters. Violent crime is also rare, however, travelers will need to be smart in major cities to avoid pickpockets.
Uruguay is often promoted as the “coldest” country in all of South America. This is due, in part, to liberal laws on marijuana possession and gay marriage (both legal). Uruguay has been continuously ranked as the safest country in South America by the GPI. The results are different if you look at homicide rates.
Uruguay, for example, has more than double the homicide rate of the United States, while Bolivia is only slightly higher. In my opinion, the “peace index” is a subjective statistic. Of course, COVID-19 will have had an impact while safety data was being collected from this country. The problem with trying to assess medical safety in developing countries during a global pandemic is that testing is not affordable for everyone — neither the government nor the general population — and the lack of power and money of these countries on the global stage means that they often rank low in the pecking order to receive solutions once discovered.
Some parts of the cities, of course, are unreliable, so be careful with the safest areas before traveling to Peru (or anywhere else, for that matter). Check out my destination guides and travel tips for Peru here. Check out my destination guides and travel tips for Bolivia here. Check out my destination guides and travel tips for Ecuador here.
I feel that Paraguay is one of those countries that simply keeps its head down and gets to work. One thing I noticed when I visited Paraguay was that the wealth gap is HUGE, so people are rich from the elite of São Paulo or poor in the hills of La Paz. Paraguay does not perform very well in terms of the economic cost of violence, which explores indicators such as armed conflict and internal displacement. Argentina is best known for its political and economic instability, so as a tourist, you don't need to worry too much about the risk of violent crime.
Once again, protests can take place, and declaring bankruptcy approximately every 5 years is a trick that the Argentine government likes and that can make money difficult to value and obtain. COVID-19 may have accelerated this pattern, so keep an eye on the economic situation before traveling. Check out my destination guides and travel tips for Argentina here. However, a key reason why Panama continues to occupy the center of the 10 safest countries in Latin America is that it suffered riots in recent years due to the reforms that the government tried to promote and that were going to have a significant effect on marginalized groups.
These protests occur mainly in Panama City, so they are unlikely to affect travel around the rest of the country. Check out my destination guides and travel tips for Panama here. Far from the big cities, the most beautiful areas of Chile are still very quiet, so keep up with the protests and plan your trip to the previously safest country in South America. Check out my destination guides and travel tips for Chile here.
I lived in Mexico in the 90s. It's a little different, but he only felt really nervous once. I didn't get much because of the work, but again, I felt very safe, thanks for the article. The Colon area of Panama doesn't like Americans who throw stones at me in places that wouldn't serve me, they feed me just like in Panama City.
Thank you for standing up for the truth. And the truth is that El Salvador will soon become the safest country in the entire continent of North and South America. Homicide rates in El Salvador have literally fallen to one death, and if you have read the news lately you realize that the president has just sent 10,000 soldiers to arrest gang members, very soon El Salvador will become the SAFEST country in ALL of Latin America. And I'm saying this like a Salvadoran.
The safest country in South America is the small and relaxed country of Uruguay. Nestled between the South American giants Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay has the highest score in the Global Peace Index of all South American countries: 46th place out of 163 countries analyzed by the index. Most petty crimes in Colombia (and, honestly, in many other Latin American countries) can be prevented if you are aware of your surroundings and don't draw attention to yourself as a tourist. Although statistics indicate that countries such as Uruguay and Chile are among the safest countries in South America, travel safety involves much more than just statistics.
Although Bolivia is the poorest country in South America, it ranks lower than many other countries in the region, including Peru, Argentina and Brazil, in petty crimes such as theft and robbery, which could affect travelers more frequently. It is more likely to affect tourists and, therefore, one of the key indicators to consider the safest countries in Latin America for travelers is the level of civil unrest. Uruguay, one of the safest countries in South America, is famous for its political stability and its relative lack of violent crime. This is a reminder to take every story with reserve and remember that there are some simple ways to stay safe when traveling, whether you're in the safest country in the world or one with the most insecurity.
This is very important to know and it entails many challenges in arriving at an accurate list of the safest countries in Latin America. Mendoza, Florianópolis, Sucre, Cusco, Arequipa, Cuenca, Bucaramanga, Santiago, Montevideo and Punta Arenas are ten of the safest cities in South American countries. Despite being historically one of the least known South American countries when it comes to tourism, this is now changing thanks to the growing awareness of its attractiveness. However, with the limited global data that exists, this is one of the most accurate indices for estimating which are the safest countries in Latin America at the moment.
So why not judge which are the safest countries in Latin America using homicide rates? , I hear you asking. Well, from the traveler's point of view, this isn't a particularly relevant metric. The further south of both countries you are, the safer you will be, as Patagonia is considered one of the safest places to visit in South America. Peru may have difficulty comparing itself to some of the leaders in this ranking of the safest countries in South America, these problems have not yet played a major role in limited international travel.
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