Montego Bay

Jamaica · Latin America & Caribbean

19Safety indexHigher concern

U.S. State DeptLevel 2 · Increased caution

Global Affairs CanadaLevel 2 · Increased caution

UK FCDOLevel 1 · Normal precautions

Smartraveller (AU)Level 2 · Increased caution

4/5metric categories covered

Open comparison

18.48°, -77.92°

Regional locator · ring ≈ the figure's geographic unit

The safety picture

A plain-language read of the sourced figures below

Montego Bay is among the lowest-scoring cities in our index, at 19 out of 100, with only about 1% of the cities we score ranking below it.

Its homicide rate is 101.2 per 100,000, roughly 63 times the median for the cities we track. That rate covers the wider state, was pooled across more than one year, and we calculated it from a count and a population, so any single area could sit well above or below it. We hold no robbery rate for the city. The governments differ on framing: the UK keeps Jamaica at its lowest advisory level, while the US, Canada, and Australia each raise it to increased caution. The advisories flag pickpocketing and scams for visitors. In a national survey, 60% of people said they feel safe walking alone at night.

Safety dimensions

Larger area = more concern

Violent crime100

Robbery & theftNo data

Travel advisory33

The radar shows the three sourced, comparable risk measures (homicide, robbery, the strictest travel-advisory level). Tourist petty-crime signals are a different kind of measure — how often advisories mention them — so they are shown as rows under Tourist-specific incidents, not as radar axes.

Homicide / general violence

Intentional homicides (per 100,000)

101.2/100k

Latest STATIN "Victims of Murder by Parish" release is 2023; newer years are not yet in the official table. Read against peers (US/MX/CO at 2023-2024) with the year gap in mind.

Figure is for St. James (state / province), wider than Montego Bay itself.

Rate computed by project-atlas: 188 (count, 2023) ÷ 185697 population (STATIN — End of Year Population by Parish (Statistical Institute of Jamaica), 2018) × 100k.

Primary source: Jamaica Constabulary Force — Victims of Murder by Parish (via STATIN)

Where this sits on the scaleExtreme

01·3·8·20·40 /100k

Among tracked citiessafer than 0% of tracked cities

101.2/100k

0/100k safest101.2/100k

Robbery (police-recorded)

No vetted robbery figure for Montego Bay yet.

Travel advisories

U.S. State Department

U.S. State DeptLevel 2 · Increased caution

Primary source: U.S. Department of State — Jamaica Travel Advisory

Global Affairs Canada

Global Affairs CanadaLevel 2 · Increased caution

Primary source: Global Affairs Canada — Jamaica Travel Advice and Advisories

UK FCDO

UK FCDOLevel 1 · Normal precautions

Primary source: UK FCDO — Jamaica travel advice

Smartraveller (Australia)

Smartraveller (AU)Level 2 · Increased caution

Primary source: Australian Government (DFAT Smartraveller) — Jamaica travel advice

Perceived safety

How safe people say they feel, from official population surveys — a separate signal, not part of the Safety Index.

Feel safe walking alone at night

National survey

60%feel safe

60% of people surveyed · Jamaica · 2023

Survey figure is for Jamaica (country), wider than Montego Bay itself.

Primary source: UN SDG 16.1.4 — feel safe walking alone at night (UNODC)

Tourist-specific incidents

How often government travel advisories mention each — a source-consensus signal, not a risk rate.

Pickpocketing & petty theft in travel advisories

1 of 3 advisories mention this

project-atlas count: 1 of 3 reviewed government advisories mention this. A source-consensus signal, not a measured risk rate.

Primary source: Global Affairs Canada — Jamaica travel advice (Safety and security)

Scams & fraud in travel advisories

2 of 3 advisories mention this

project-atlas count: 2 of 3 reviewed government advisories mention this. A source-consensus signal, not a measured risk rate.

Primary source: Global Affairs Canada — Jamaica travel advice (Safety and security)