Travel safety comparison · Latin America & the Caribbean
Cuba vs Jamaica: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Cuba and Jamaica for 2026: risk scores, FCDO and US State Department advisories, drug law, women's safety, LGBTQ+ legal status, and the practical decision between the two.
Cuba and Jamaica have very similar overall Warnely composite scores: 45 and 40. The choice between them is unlikely to be driven by the headline number alone. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Cuba scores 1/5 against Jamaica's 3/5. Drug law diverges sharply: Cuba carries a tier-severe regime against Jamaica's more permissive framework.
| 🇨🇺Cuba | 🇯🇲Jamaica | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 45 / 100 | 40 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Exercise Increased Caution | Exercise Increased Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | avoid all but essential travel to whole country | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #102 | #93 |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | decrim |
| Women's safety rating | Generally Safe | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | marriage | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | CUP | JMD |