Is Paraguay Safe? Crime Data and Regional Variation

What the official advisories say

Level 1 is not "no crime". It is the baseline advice given for most of Western Europe. What makes Paraguay's picture distinctive is the gap between the national level and the five departments, which is why we never quote one without the other.

The homicide data

Intentional homicide is the crime category most consistently recorded across countries, which is why comparisons use it and why we do too. The World Bank's series, derived from UNODC data, reports approximately 6.8 homicides per 100,000 people in Paraguay for 2023. A second published figure of 6.2 for the same year exists, which is itself a useful reminder that even the most standardised crime statistic has measurement variance.

For context on direction of travel rather than absolute position: Paraguay's rate peaked around 2016 and has been lower since. We are not going to convert that into a ranking claim without same-year, same-source figures for every country in the comparison — see our methodology.

What we will not tell you

That Paraguay is the safest country in Latin America. It is a claim you will find repeated across this industry, and it is not one the available data supports as stated. Rankings depend entirely on the indicator, the year, and whose methodology you use. Paraguay compares well with several regional neighbours on homicide and carries a low travel advisory level; that is a defensible statement and it is enough.

We also will not tell you that Asunción is as safe as Europe, or safer than any specific European city, because comparable city-level data with a shared methodology is not something we have been able to source. When it is, we will publish the comparison and the workings.

Regional variation is the actual story

The five Level 2 departments sit along or near the north-eastern border with Brazil. The stated concern is organised criminal activity — smuggling of weapons, drugs and goods — combined with limited police presence, rather than street crime aimed at visitors.

That has two practical implications. Someone living in Asunción or the Central Department is not in the areas the advisory singles out. And someone planning to buy rural land in Amambay or Canindeyú is making a different decision from someone renting an apartment in Asunción, and should research it as one.

What it does not mean is "only the north is dangerous". Crime patterns are not that tidy, and ordinary property crime exists in every Paraguayan city as it does in every city.

Practical, rather than statistical

• Petty theft and opportunistic crime are the everyday concern in urban Paraguay, as in most capitals. Normal precautions are what the advisory level describes.
• Border regions and remote rural areas warrant more research before a long stay or a land purchase.
• Check your own government's advisory too — the UK, Australian and Canadian services publish their own assessments and occasionally emphasise different areas.

Where safety fits in a relocation decision

It is usually the first question and rarely the deciding one. If safety is the whole basis of a move, the honest answer is that the data supports Paraguay being a low-advisory country with meaningful regional variation — not that it is a uniquely safe place. The residency process, the cost of living and the tax position are where the case for or against Paraguay actually gets made.

For how we handle any comparative claim on this site, see the methodology. For the capital specifically, see is Asunción safe.