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As one who has lived in six countries over the past thirty years or so, I have never personally felt unsafe in any of these countries, including in Belize, where I have now lived for about 5 1/2 years. However, as publisher of Belize FAQs, I have received quite a few messages from readers asking me: “Is Belize Safe?”
I know that in some of the online groups that this topic can bring a lot of heated responses, so I am going to try to tread carefully between official government statistics, some local media reporting, and my experiences of having lived in San Pedro for around three years, and now in Corozal for about 2 1/2 years.
Homicide Rate in Belize
One of the primary statistics which folks tend to look at when trying to answer the question, Is Belize safe?, is to look at the Homicide Rate per 100,000 in population. This is a statistic which many countries use when creating and releasing Travel Advisories about certain countries for their citizens. For example, here is the US State Department Travel Advisory for Belize.
If we look solely at the Homicide Rate as the defining metric to determine whether or not Belize is safe, at 21.7 homicides per 100,000 in 2024, it would appear that by global standards, Belize has a comparatively high homicide rate; thus, Belize is less safe than many other countries.
However, traditionally, countries with very small populations tend to have much higher homicide rates than larger countries, even when the smaller countries often only have a higher incidence of homicide in one or two urban areas in the country, and homicides in these areas serve to skew the statistics for the entire country.
Belize is no exception to this rule, as while globally, it has a high homicide rate, at 21.7 homicides per 100,000 in 2024, much of its homicide rate can be attributed to gang-related activity in Belize City, and particularly to several neighborhoods on the south side of the city.
In order to get some perspective on the Homicide Rate in Belize, I decided to look for some statistics on Homicide Rates in smaller sections of the US. And I found a working paper for a study on the 2024 Homicide Statistics for 24 U.S. Cities, undertaken at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.
This study reports that the city of Chicago, with a population about five times greater than the entire population of Belize, also had a 21.7 per 100,000 Homicide Rate, and seven other US cities, including Richmond, VA, Indianapolis, IN, Atlanta, GA, Washington D.C., Detroit, MI, New Orleans, LA, and St. Louis, MO, had Homicide Rates higher than that of Belize, with some of these cities registering rates double than that of Belize.
Belize recorded 89 homicides in 2024, with over 70% of the reported killings carried out using firearms. In 2023, the country saw 87 murders, with a homicide rate of 21.5, so there was a slight increase in the year-over-year homicide rate.
However, the overall homicide rate in Belize has been on a downward trajectory since its 2018 high rate of 35.9 homicides per 100,000 population.
While there have been some stories of foreign nationals having been killed in Belize, including the rather sensational story of long-time developer and realtor Boris Mannsfeld, who was murdered in an execution-style killing in 2025, these reports are fairly rare, as the vast majority of homicides seem to involve gang killings, domestic violence, or family disputes.
So, when I hear or receive a message asking me, “Is Belize safe?”, I don’t think this has ever brought to mind the question, “Am I likely to be shot or killed here in Belize?” This is honestly just something that I don’t personally think about.
Does this mean that I let me guard down at all times? Of course not, rather, I just try to be aware if I am in an unfamiliar area, and I try to exercise a bit of caution and common sense.
Crimes other than Homicide
Most recent data concerning other major crimes in Belize, including robbery and burglary showed a marked decrease in major crimes between 2023 and 2024.
Earlier this year, the San Pedro Sun quoted Police Commissioner Chester Williams on the drop in the major crime rate:
On January 8th, recent data was presented at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan, the capital city. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams reported that the analysis for 2024 indicated a 16% reduction in major crimes. However, he noted a slight increase in homicides compared to the previous year. “Overall, there were 1,075 major crimes in 2024, down from 1,285 in 2023,” he stated.
The San Pedro Sun
Aside from the well-reported major crimes, such as rape, robbery, and burglary, Belize, like many other countries, counts domestic violence as a serious problem. According to the Belize Crime Observatory, there were a total of 1,277 cases of police-registered domestic violence in Belize in 2024.
For the period January to December 2024, domestic violence reports decreased 7% relative to the same period in 2023.
Domestic Violence Cases for which police made an arrest or placed the matter under investigation increased by 2%.
During January to December 2023, approximately 7 in 10 Domestic Violence cases involved persons ages 18 to 45.
Belize Crime Observatory
When I read that 7 in 10 domestic violence cases in Belize involved persons between 18 and 45 years old, I wondered whether the majority of those cases might be skewed toward the lower end of this age range.
I have read in several sources that demographics may play a part in higher incidences of violent crimes, and I wonder if this doesn’t play a part in both the higher homicide rate in Belize and in the rate of domestic violence.
Do demographics play a part in the crime rate in Belize?
Belize still has a relatively low median age of around 26.9 years old, and countries with lower-aged populations often see higher incidents of some crimes, including homicides and domestic violence.
For me, I saw this play out when I lived in San Pedro, as I saw several incidents of domestic violence in my neighborhood during my time there, and most, if not all of these involved younger couples and were fueled by alcohol.
Like in many countries, young people in Belize like to party, and when folks get carried away with alcohol too frequently, there is often trouble. However, just since 2005, in the past 20 years, the median age in Belize has increased from 19.6 years old to the current median of 26.9.
In general, as median age increases, unless there are special circumstances such as war, civil unrest, or severe poverty, many types of crimes tend to decrease as the median age increases.
Belize has also seen a decrease in the fertility rate from 3.2 births per woman in 2005 to just 2.0 births per woman in 2025, which is a replacement birthrate, indicating that population growth through childbirth is leveling off, and perhaps there are fewer “babies having babies,” which I have read can lead to social problems, including rising crime rates in some categories.
I probably did not need to include the section on demographics here, but I find it interesting, and I wonder how things will change in Belize regarding the crime as the median age continues to increase.
Is Belize Safe in terms of property crimes?
To take a global look at crime overall in Belize, and specifically, the most common property crimes, we have the Summary and Comparison of Major Crimes from the Belize Police Department. The most current information consists of a comparison in crime rates between Jan-Nov 2023 and the same period in 2024.
We can see from the chart that overall major crimes were down fairly significantly between 2023 and 2024, and major property crimes such as Burglary, Robbery, and Theft were down substantially.
While it is not completely unheard of for foreign nationals to be victims of a home invasion or other type of robbery, the most common major theft crimes committed against foreign nationals are likely to be theft or burglary.
These crimes are closely related, but they are a bit different. Theft involves the unlawful taking of someone else’s property with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of it. However, it doesn’t necessarily involve unlawful entry into a home, building, or other structure.
Burglary, on the other hand, is defined as the unlawful entry into a structure, a building, house, or vehicle, with the intent to commit a crime inside.
Common Major Property Crimes
Both anecdotally, and from personal observation, one of the most common property crimes against folks who live in Belize full-time, or for those who own homes here and live in Belize part time, seem to be burglaries which are committed when owners leave their homes vacant for any substantial period of time.
Of course, these types of crimes are more likely to happen if one’s home is more isolated than if you have neighbors who can help watch over your place when you are away. Near where I live in a more rural area just outside of Corozal town, a couple built a nice new home, and it was finished just before the country shut down during Covid.
The owners, to my knowledge, have still never been in the home, but while the house sat empty for a prolonged period, the entire house was stripped of anything valuable, including the wiring! More recently, in my general area, a water pressure tank and expensive pump were removed from a house while the owners were away.
I have always given the advice that I personally would not buy a house in Belize if I were going to snowbird and be here for just a few months a year, unless it was in an area with lots of full-time neighbors, or it was in a condo complex with a strong management company in place. Between the very high cost of home maintenance here, and the potential worry about security, I would simply rent every year and allow someone else to deal with the security and upkeep of the property.
Is Belize Safe in terms of minor property crimes?
Foreign nationals visiting Belize, especially in the heavily-touristed areas, are more likely to fall victim to a minor property crime than any other type of criminal activity. And, in many instances, these minor property crimes are similar to what might be experienced in any tourism locale, and often they can be avoided.
For around three years, I owned and operated several licensed vacation rental units in San Pedro, and while living on the island, I heard many accounts of visitors having various items stolen during their vacations.
These minor property crimes often occurred when a visitor was out exploring the island in a golf cart, and they would run into a shop, just for a few minutes, to pick up some snacks, beer, or other items, and when they returned to their cart, they would discover that a backpack, phone, other shopping bags, or other personal items had been stolen from their carts.
These are crimes of opportunity, and as long as one does not leave anything unattended on a golf cart, they can avoid this problem completely. In many ways, this just seems like common sense, but while on vacation, cruising around an island on a golf cart, sometimes folks can easily forget that they still need to be cautious about leaving their belongings unattended.
Golf cart theft
This particular category of crime is most prevalent on Ambergris Caye, where the primary mode of transportation is the golf cart. One important thing to remember is that very few carts have individually-keyed ignition switches; thus, with a single golf cart key, one can jump on and start nearly any cart on the island.
Because golf cart keys are interchangeable, all carts are equipped with a steel bar which is used to lock the steering wheel with a padlock. And just like needing to make sure not to leave anything on a cart when running into a shop to pick up just one or two items, one must always lock a cart, even if you are only going inside a business for a minute or two.
I have read a few stories of tourists stopping in a shop just to pick up a bottle of water or something, and some young guys hopping on the rental cart and zooming away!
When I lived on the island, I felt that golf cart theft ran in cycles. At times, there were multiple reports of cart thefts over a few days, and at other times, there were no reports of missing carts.
My rental property was a triplex, with two rental apartments downstairs, and my unit on the second floor. There were three parking spaces inside the gates of the property, but they were a bit difficult to navigate for some visitors, as the space was pretty tight.
However, when folks first arrived, I always offered to put carts inside the gates for them when they were in for the night if they wanted or felt that they needed help. I always told guests this was far safer than leaving the carts on the street even though there was a bright street light just in front of my building.
One visitor, who was staying for about six weeks, decided to just park his rental cart in front of the building along the street every night, and unfortunately, one morning, he woke up to a missing golf cart.
From what we pieced together later from a neighbor who had heard something late at night, we believe that two guys came along on a motorcycle, and the passenger jumped off of the back of the bike, cracked the padlock off of the golf cart with a large hammer or other tool, and then took off in the cart following his friend on the motorcycle. Fortunately, my guest had put the rental on a credit card which included vehicle rental insurance, but it cost him the best part of several days dealing with the rental company, a police report, and his credit card issuer.
Conviction rate for major crimes in Belize
When trying to answer the question Is Belize Safe?, I can not help but think about all of the reports in the local media about major crime cases, including murder, assault, and robbery in which the cases disappear from the news quite quickly, sometimes after the announcement by police that a suspect had been arrested.
However, after several months or more, we often then read reports that the cases have been dropped by the prosecution for a number of reasons. Traditionally, many cases are dropped due to witnesses who refuse to cooperate, or victims who decide not to press charges. But, there also have been problems collecting, processing and preserving evidence in Belize due to a lack of forensic science equipment and expertise.
Aside from many media reports and anecdotal evidence, the only official documentation of conviction rates which I have been able to find for Belize were reported in the The Belize Reporter in 2023. In this story, they reveal a leaked document from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Belize.
The report states:
The document titled “Forensic Situational Analysis of the Prosecution of Serious Crimes in the Supreme Court of Belize” revealed that the conviction rate for the prosecution of serious crimes in the Supreme Court of Belize for years 2014 to 2021 was, respectively, as follows: 25.89%, 23.4%, 24.05%, 23.01%, 31.3%, 30.8%, 35.2%, and, as of 2021, 37.17%.
The figures are roughly ten times higher than what is generally believed [by the public], a point that the report highlights. “Unfortunately, there is the public perception that the conviction rate for the Prosecution of Serious Crimes in the Supreme Court is 3%,” notes the report. “This perception is far from the reality. In fact, between 2014 and 2021 the conviction rate ranged between 25.89% and 37.17%.”
The Belize Reporter
Some of the long-standing problems with forensics, however, may have been mitigated in 2023 when the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries in Belize, with grants from the European Union, officially inaugurated the new Laboratory Spaces for Histopathology and Toxicology at the Belize National Forensic Science Service. This new state of the art scientific and medical equipment should have greatly upgraded the Forensic Service here in Belize.
More recently, in early 2025, the government of Belize also invested in technology which allows for in-country Rapid DNA testing for crime scene samples, human remains, and disaster victim identification for urgently needed investigative or identification needs.
According to the Belize National Forensic Science Service:
Rapid DNA technology has revolutionized crime-solving in many jurisdictions worldwide by rapidly generating DNA profiles in as little as 90 minutes. This technology provides the ability to quickly identify suspects, thereby potentially preventing further crimes. It can be used to link individuals to past offenses, or link crime scenes to crime scenes, and assist in the resolution of cold cases.
Belize National Forensic Science Service
While statistics about conviction rates do not necessarily speak to whether or not a country is safe, they do seem to offer a glimpse into how seriously the government is engaging in solving crimes and dealing with people who commit the most violent offenses.
While Belize has historically struggled with its conviction rate, the country does appear to be working to improve its forensic capacity, and I hope that eventually, they will release updated statistics on the conviction rates for major crimes so that we will know if these advances in technology lead to solving more crimes and securing more convictions.
Final thoughts on Is Belize Safe?
I will close this article in the same way that I opened it. While I often receive messages from Belize FAQs readers asking me, Is Belize Safe?, I have never personally felt unsafe at any time during the 5 1/2 years or so in which I have lived here.
In full disclosure, I do not drink alcohol, so even when I lived in San Pedro, I spent almost no time in any of the many bars on the island at night. I have lived in the topics for many years, so my body seems to be adjusted to the roughly 12 hours of daylight we have year round.
Thus, I am generally up by around 5 AM, and in bed pretty early, so it is possible that my having never felt unsafe at all here may be a function of the fact that I’m simply not out and about at night.
I hope that the mix of statistics and personal observations here are helpful to those who have asked my opinion about the overall safety of living in Belize. I think that looking only at the Homicide Rate per 100,000 can give one a skewed vision of the actual crime situation here, and unfortunately, this is the metric which many countries use when they issue Travel Warnings.
However, I do not mean to minimize the crime situation in Belize either, as we must always remember that Belize is a developing country. And just like with some of the other infrastructure problems with which the country struggles at times, the different components of the criminal justice systems in Belize, from policing and forensic capacity, to the courts, have also experienced the growing pains common to any developing country.
If you are just starting your search for a place in Belize, good luck! Also, many people who are interested in different aspects of living in Belize are also curious about being granted Permanent Residency in Belize, so check out our article on Residency, as it is never too early to be aware of what is required before you make the big move.
Finally, if you are considering a move to Belize, you might want to check out our book: Belize FAQs: A detailed guide for those interested in moving to Belize. In the book, there are more than 150 pages of Belize FAQs at your fingertips. And Belize FAQs is available in both paperback and Kindle formats.
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