Grenada is a Caribbean destination with stunning nature and an excellent climate that attracts a lot of visitors every year. However, not only tourists are interested in it: digital nomads choose it as their second home, and people from different countries take advantage of its citizenship-by-investment program to become full-fledged citizens and relocate to the beautiful island one day. However, all of them want to know how safe the island is for life or for a visit. This post will give you an idea about Grenada in general and the safety of the country.
If you want to know more about Grenada, other Caribbean destinations, or citizenship-by-investment programs offered by different countries, we would like to invite you to our portal internationalwealth.info/en where you will find a lot of articles written by our experts. You can also book a free initial session to discuss your relocation needs and find a good destination that suits you perfectly. And if you want us to help you with obtaining citizenship online, we will be happy to do all the administrative work for you.
Grenada: a Safe Country in the Caribbean
If we look at the crime rates, we can say that Grenada is absolutely safe. However, let’s take a good look at other factors that make a country safe or unsafe:
- Of course, Grenada is a place where you will encounter minor offenses (typical of any resort), such as robbery, petty theft, hooliganism, and sexual crimes. You will need to take simple precautions to avoid them.
- The US Department of State does not give any special recommendations to the Americans who are going to visit Grenada as it considers it a safe country (it is classified as a level 1 country where normal precautions should be taken).
- Canada has the same opinion about Grenada as the USA and it gives its citizens wishing to visit the island a ‘green light’ (this is their official term).
- What about safety for women? Well, all you need to do is take reasonable precautions like refraining from walking around alone at night. However, sexual crime rates are lower in Grenada if you compare them to other Caribbean countries.
- As for LGBT community members, they should not leave the resort complex where they live and refrain from displaying affection in public.
In fact, weather and nature can be much more dangerous in Grenada than people! You may suffer from storms or heavy rainfall, and there are insects that transmit diseases. However, this is the problem common to the Caribbean region as a whole rather than Grenada as a separate country.
Grenada’s Crime Rate
Macrotrends give Grenada’s crime rate 12.44 points. This is not the safest country across the globe, of course, and the same figure is much lower in Singapore or Switzerland, for example. There are even small island nations that perform better in terms of crime rate (the Dominican Republic has 8.86, while Mauritius has 2.75). Still, Grenada has good indicators as compared to the neighboring Caribbean states.
Let’s look at some other crime rate figures to illustrate the point:
- Jamaica: 44.95
- Lucia: 28.32
- Commonwealth of Dominica: 20.84
- Kitts and Nevis: 18.8
- Bahamas: 18.56
- Puerto Rico: 18.49
As you see, you will not risk much if you decide to visit Grenada or relocate to the country.
Crimes in Grenada: Details
The worst thing is when you don’t know what to expect as it causes the most worries. Let’s look at what you can expect of the Grenadian criminal landscape:
- The majority of crimes are not related to violence (they are petty fraud/thefts)
- Offenses are predictably concentrated in popular tourist areas (this excludes the territories of hotels that are under constant surveillance)
- What if you choose a small hotel? It is more or less safe: criminals can break into hotel rooms or rental cars, but it does not happen very often
- If you are alone, stay away from empty beaches or remote areas of Grenada. However, both options are perfectly safe if you have a company of friends
- Travelers sometimes get into trouble through their own fault by failing to make the required vaccinations or buying low-quality alcohol
- If you wear camouflage clothes in Grenada, the local police have the right to detain you! The solution is simple: just don’t wear them
- Grenada has its own season of hurricanes. And while it is absolutely safe to visit the country in these months, some recreational activities may be unavailable
- Don’t wear bathing suits outside Grenada beaches
- If you want to explore Grenada’s breathtaking rural areas, rent an off-road vehicle. Mind, however, that some dirt roads marked on the map may be simply non-existent
- If you take valuables with you, the best place for them is the hotel’s vault
These rules are not very hard to follow, and they will make your stay in Grenada perfectly safe!
How to Reduce the Risks: Useful Tips
There are some things you can do to ensure a safe stay in Grenada:
- The cheaper the hotel, the lower is the security level it can provide. Choose a respectable hotel if you can.
- Don’t walk alone at night. This may seem like an evident thing to do, but people get relaxed in the tropical atmosphere and lose vigilance.
- If you want to visit remote rural areas, take a local guide to accompany you.
- If you need a taxi, ask the driver for a license and assess how safe the car looks.
- Don’t carry too much cash when you go out.
Useful General Information about Grenada
- Visas. Grenada is not a visa-free country for everyone, so you’d better check the visa regime with your state: you may need to get a visa at the embassy back home.
- Currency. The official Grenadian currency is the East Caribbean dollar, but US dollars are accepted in practically all places. You may exchange currency at local exchange offices, but beware of fraudsters.
- Climate. You will enjoy wonderful weather for the most part of the year, but it may be occasionally spoiled by strong winds or heavy rains. Fortunately, it does not last very long!
- Insurance. We strongly recommend taking an insurance policy with you to be on the safe side.
Interested in Grenada as a tourist or a potential resident/citizen? Please click on the above link to get in touch with our experts to get more details!
