Dominican Republic Crime Rate & Statistics 1960-2024 (2024)

FAQs

What is the crime rate in the Dominican Republic? ›

Dominican Republic crime rate & statistics for 2022 was 0.00, a 100% decline from 2021. Dominican Republic crime rate & statistics for 2021 was 10.54, a 20.66% increase from 2020. Dominican Republic crime rate & statistics for 2020 was 8.74, a 7.34% decline from 2019.

Violent crime nearly quadrupled between 1960 and its peak in 1991. Property crime more than doubled over the same period. Since the 1990s, however, contrary to common misconception, crime in the United States has declined steadily, and has significantly declined by the late 1990s and also in the early 2000s.

Safety Considerations for Travelers

Mexico has a lower absolute crime rate (54) than the Dominican Republic (61), so on a numbers basis you're safer in Mexico. However, in both cases, if you keep to the resort or stay in the tourist areas, you're unlikely to encounter a problem.

Illegal drug trade

The Dominican Republic has become a trans-shipment point for Colombian drugs destined to Europe as well as the United States and Canada. Money laundering via the Dominican Republic is favored by the drug cartels for the ease of illicit financial transactions.

The U.S. State Department last updated its travel advisory to the Dominican Republic on June 6, 2023. Since then, it remains at a Level 2, which encourages visitors to exercise increased caution.

US State Dept Travel Advisory

The US State Department currently recommends US citizens exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic due to crime.

The risk for crime in the Dominican Republic is like that of major cities in the United States. Although most crime affecting tourists involves robbery or pickpocketing, more serious assaults occasionally occur, and perpetrators might react violently if resisted (see Sec. 4, Ch. 11, Safety & Security Overseas).

QUESTION: What happened to crime in America in the 1960's? ELIOTT CURRIE: Crime rates went up very dramatically in the 1960s. They had been quite low during the Second World War, during the 1950s and up through the middle 1960s, and then pretty much skyrocketed.

What is the safest country in the world? ›

The Nation's homicide rate was 4.6 per 100,000 population in 1950. It doubled from the mid-1960's to the late 1970's. In 1980 it peaked at 10.2 and fell to 7.9 in 1985.

Dominican Republic - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution

Exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic due to crime. Country Summary: Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic.

Decoding Safety in Punta Cana: What You Need to Know

Punta Cana has a reputation for being one of the safest tourist destinations in the Dominican Republic. Most of the high crime rates in other parts of the country do not significantly affect this town.

Danger level: 3 - Travel with high caution. This is the general advisory usually covering the country as a whole.

Contrary to some beliefs, Punta Cana is not a crime-ridden area. It's important to note that while the Dominican Republic has a relatively high crime rate, the situation in Punta Cana is significantly different. The town has moderate overall crime rates and significantly lower violent crime rates.

How safe is it to live in the Dominican Republic? Well, the Dominican Republic is considered one of the safest countries in the Caribbean. Despite this, crime still exists, especially outside the resort towns. Probably a higher level of crime in Santo Domingo, because it is a capital with crowds of people.

Sauvage: “The Dominican Health system is okay in general and depending on what services you require can be very good here but there is a wide range of variability between each doctor and how they've been trained.

Scams pose a low threat to foreign nationals, locals, and businesses in Dominica. Overall, the threat of violent crime in Dominica is low; foreign nationals are not usually targeted by criminals. Incidents of violent crime, including homicide, armed robbery, and rape do occur, but are largely infrequent.