Safety in the Dominican Republic 2026: The Real Risks for Foreigners
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · EXPAT GUIDE
Key Facts
- —The rate 951 intentional killings in 2025, or 8.7 for every 100,000 people. The lowest in years.
- —The cause Brawls and quarrels account for 53 percent. Gang confrontations account for four cases.
- —The cities Santiago and Santo Domingo both sit below the national average. The worst provinces are rural.
- —The roads 2,175 died at the scene in 2025. The World Health Organization puts the true toll near 3,000.
- —The water Around 310 people drowned in 2025. Four tourists died at one beach in January despite a red flag.
- —The catch Killings of women are rising while overall killings fall. This year has already passed last year’s total.
Four in ten killings here happen in a drunken argument between men who already know each other. Almost none involve gangs, and that single fact reshapes the whole risk picture.
The Dominican Republic recorded 951 intentional killings in 2025, a rate of 8.7 for every 100,000 people. That is the lowest in years and roughly a third below 2022.
The figure was validated in March 2026 by the national data centre, merging police and forensic records for the first time. Earlier police estimates of 8.15 were preliminary and were revised upward.
A wider count of 1,371 also circulates. That adds 215 deaths caused by police or military action and 205 involuntary or self-defence killings.
Why People Are Killed Here
The official breakdown is the most important thing in this guide. Brawls and quarrels account for 506 of the 951 killings, or 53 percent.
Domestic violence accounts for another 127. Together, interpersonal disputes are 67 percent of the total.
Crime-related killings are 22 percent. Within that, gang confrontations account for four cases and kidnapping for one.
This is not the Central American pattern. There is no territorial gang war and no extortion economy driving the numbers.
Lethal violence here is mostly social. It happens at weekends, late at night, between men who already know each other.
Firearms were used in 54 percent of cases and blades in 32 percent. Eighty-five percent of victims were men.
The Trend That Is Going the Wrong Way
Killings of women by partners or former partners numbered 59 in 2025. By 3 September 2026 the count was 62.
The year has therefore already passed last year’s total while overall killings fall. The prosecutor general has called for the legal response to be reformed.
Two of her findings stand out. Eighty-nine percent of the women killed had never filed a complaint, and a quarter of the men killed themselves afterwards.
What the Numbers Say About Foreigners
No official statistic exists for foreign nationals or tourists killed. The word foreigner does not appear in the homicide chapters of the national bulletin.
Treat any figure you see as invented. The only foreign-victim data the police publish concerns Haitian migrants in border provinces.
What is documented is targeting for property crime. The United States warns of robberies by people met through dating applications and financial scams aimed at those over sixty-five.
The bigger danger is water. Four tourists drowned at Arena Gorda in January while a red warning flag was flying.
Further visitor deaths followed through the year, including a snorkeller struck by a speedboat in June. None of these were crimes.
Where Risk Actually Sits
The cities are safer than the countryside, which surprises most people. Santiago recorded 6.4 killings per 100,000 and greater Santo Domingo 7.3, both below the national average.
The worst provinces are small, poor and rural. Hato Mayor stood at 24.5, Elias Pina at 23.9 and Baoruco at 20.5.
Forty-three of 158 municipalities account for 80 percent of all killings. Thirty-four municipalities recorded none at all.
The tourist east is an exception worth knowing. Higuey municipality sits at 10.6, above the national average.
Of its 38 killings, 22 happened in the Veron and Punta Cana district. Only 12 were in Higuey town itself.
The Crimes You Will Meet
There were 81,211 robbery complaints in 2025, and simple theft was 64 percent of them. Phones, motorcycles and electricity meters are the most stolen items.
Motorcycle theft outnumbers car theft by more than ten to one. Britain warns of thieves on motorcycles snatching bags from pedestrians and through car windows at traffic lights.
Canada records that drive-by robberies are common. Card skimming at cash machines and card cloning are flagged by both governments.
Property fraud deserves its own warning. The judiciary describes identity substitution to transfer property illegally as the single biggest challenge facing the land registry.
The named methods are forged title certificates, falsified notarial seals and fraudulent powers of attorney. Nobody publishes case counts, so treat any percentage you read as guesswork.
Roads, and a Number You Should Not Repeat
Traffic police counted 2,175 deaths at the scene in 2025, a rate of 20 per 100,000. That count stops at 24 hours after the crash.
The World Health Organization applies the 30-day international standard and estimates about 3,000 deaths, a rate of 27.4. The gap is people who die in hospital later.
The United States advisory prints 65.2 per 100,000 and calls it the highest in the world. That figure appears in no World Health Organization publication and contradicts its own country profile.
The real picture is bad enough without it. Roughly 71 percent of those killed were on motorcycles, and most deaths happen on highways rather than in cities.
La Altagracia, the province containing Punta Cana, has the worst rate at 45.8. Santo Domingo and the National District have the best, near 9.5.
Other Hazards
Around 310 people drowned in 2025. Santo Domingo recorded 49, La Altagracia 34, Santiago 22 and Puerto Plata 19.
The 2026 hurricane season has been unusually quiet. Only the remnants of one storm reached the island, bringing rain that eased a drought.
Power cuts have worsened. Monthly interruptions on the northern network rose from about 14 to 20 between January and April.
Do not drink the tap water. Potability testing in the north averaged 81 percent against a standard the utility itself will not vouch for.
Building safety belongs in any honest assessment. A nightclub roof collapsed in the capital in April 2025, killing 236 people, and the owners are on trial.
Police, Reporting and What Changed
Emergency calls go to 911, which now covers 27 of 32 provinces and about 95 percent of the population. The average response time to a security call is 23 minutes and 34 seconds.
Tourist zones are policed by a specialist force now called CESTUR. The older name POLITUR is still on signage and still in use.
Public confidence in the police is low and falling. A poll in August 2026 found 70 percent of Dominicans rated the force badly.
Britain warns of armed robberies near the Haitian border by criminals posing as police officers. Take that seriously on western routes.
A new criminal code took effect on 3 August 2026, replacing one from 1884. It creates offences of femicide, contract killing, pyramid fraud and online harassment.
A separate police reform has passed only one Senate reading. It is not law, whatever you may read.
The change a resident will notice most is migration enforcement. More than 250,000 Haitians were deported in the first seven months of 2026, and checkpoints and document checks are routine.
Since 2025 foreign patients at public hospitals must show identification, a work letter and proof of residence. Carry your residency papers.
More: Caribbean news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Dominican Republic safe for expats in 2026?
The killing rate is the lowest in years at 8.7 per 100,000, and Santiago and Santo Domingo are both below the national average.
What kills foreigners there?
Water and roads, not crime. Around 310 people drowned in 2025 and the true road toll is close to 3,000 a year.
Are tourists targeted?
Not for murder. They are targeted for robbery, including through dating applications, and older visitors are targeted by financial scams.
Which areas are riskiest?
Small rural provinces such as Hato Mayor, Elias Pina and Baoruco. The Veron and Punta Cana district carries most of Higuey’s killings.
What is the emergency number?
911, covering 27 of 32 provinces. In tourist areas the specialist force is CESTUR, formerly known as POLITUR.
Sources: CADSECI Boletin Estadistico de Seguridad Ciudadana 2025, Procuraduria General, DIGESETT, INTRANT, World Health Organization, US State Department, Global Affairs Canada, UK Foreign Office, OSAC.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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