Bridgetown scores 59 out of 100 (moderate safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 4512 of 6168 cities worldwide. The score combines the homicide rate, nearby conflict deaths, income equality and human development from published data (UNODC, UCDP, World Bank, UNDP).

Is Bridgetown safe?

Barbados · North America · data updated 2026-09-04

59.1Moderate · rank 4512 / 6,168
safer than 27% of ranked cities

Bridgetown is a city in Barbados, home to about 121k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,512 of 6,168, with a safety score of 59.1 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.

US 1/4 Exercise normal precautions

Emergency Ambulance 511 · Fire 311 · Police 211

Elevated homicide rate17.1 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 6× the global city median.

No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Barbados are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.

How safe is Bridgetown really?

The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Bridgetown recorded 17 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2015 - roughly 6 times the global city median. Barbados's income inequality is middling (Gini 34.1) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Barbados at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2026-04-09). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Barbados without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.

What to watch out for in Barbados

Terrorism in Barbados · Crime · Illegal drugs penalties · Camouflage clothing · LGBT+ travellers · Swimming safety · Road travel · Taxis · Hurricanes · Earthquakes · Volcanic eruptions

Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Barbados — country-level, not specific to Bridgetown. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 17 /100kcity-measured, 2015 · ~6× the global city median
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 34.1country, 2016
Human development: HDI 0.811country, 2023
Income: $24,840/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 121kurban centre · 2,380/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 8.2 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 88/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 69/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 68/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 1.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.81Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 10.9 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 3.0 doctors /1k6.4 hospital beds per 1,000

Natural hazards in Barbados

Cyclone: 8.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Earthquake: 5.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Tsunami: 3.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Barbados as a whole, not Bridgetown specifically.

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Barbados (as of 2025).

All country-level figures shared by every city in Barbados; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%22

Peace25%100

Equality25%69

Development10%81

One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For Bridgetown that gives 59.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Bridgetown compared with Port of Spain

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Bridgetown, red favours Port of Spain.
Measure	Bridgetown	Port of Spain	Difference
Safety score	59.1	46.8	+12.2 — better for Bridgetown
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	17 /100k	78 /100k	−61 /100k — better for Bridgetown
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0
Income inequality (Gini)	34.1	40.2	−6.1 — better for Bridgetown
Human development (HDI)	0.811	0.807	+0.004 — better for Bridgetown
Road deaths	8.2 /100k	9.3 /100k	−1.1 /100k — better for Bridgetown
Rule of law	69/100	51/100	+18/100 — better for Bridgetown
Corruption perceptions	68/100	41/100	+27/100 — better for Bridgetown
Air quality (PM2.5)	10.9 µg/m³	13.8 µg/m³	−2.9 µg/m³ — better for Bridgetown
Natural-hazard risk	1.9/10	2.9/10	−1.0/10 — better for Bridgetown

Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Country-level rows describe the two countries, not the cities themselves. Full report for Port of Spain →

Nearby cities

See Bridgetown on the interactive map → · Safest cities in North America → · Full travel briefings →