Guatemala

Level moderateupdated 4 min ago
Open alert types
Epidemic
What governments advise19 states tracked
8 nothing to report9 increased caution2 advise against non-essential travel
Mira Safe's take

A country you can visit normally, with the usual precautions.

2alerts in progress2 / 19states advise against travel23.4homicides / 100,000 inhab.39events over 12 months
HighCritical

What are the main risks in Guatemala?

Over the last 12 months, our sensors recorded 39 events there, including 4 severe. The most frequent: Earthquake, Armed conflict, Flood.

Is there a government travel advisory for Guatemala?

Yes — of the 19 governments we track, 2 advise against travel and 9 urge extra caution. The detail is in the security section below.

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Guatemala: current alerts and safety news

The alerts open right now, all sources combined — weather, seismic, satellite, health and state advisories.

US travel advisory — Guatemala - Level 3: Reconsider Travel

4 months ago · 14 sources

High

Guatemala: Measles Outbreak - Jan 2026

9 months ago · ReliefWeb (UN OCHA)

High

Being verified

We detected the following events, but they are not yet reliable enough to qualify as alerts — they are awaiting confirmation from an official source. A report is not an established fact.

Last 90 days

  • Calm
  • Moderate / High
  • Critical
  • N/A
July 14October 11

Colour = the country level observed that day (highest of the day). N/A: before our records began.

Is it safe to travel to Guatemala?

The UK advises against all but essential travel to some areas of the country, not to the whole of it. On the four-level scale that sits at level 3 of 4, reconsider travel. Read the official notice before you book, since it is the one that names the areas. Over the last 12 months, 15 events were recorded, 5 of them severe. Five were classed as conflict, none of them severe, and the country is not flagged as a war zone. Two earthquakes, one of them severe, plus one volcanic episode, three floods, one thunderstorm and one epidemic signal. Recorded homicides run at 23.4 per 100,000 people, against a world median of 2.1; that number says nothing about theft or scams. June to August carries the most events, March to May the fewest. Floods and storms follow the rains. Earthquakes and volcanoes follow nothing.

What it changes for a nomad

Two things shape a long stay here: where you base yourself, and when you come. The advisory targets specific areas, so your choice of neighbourhood matters more than your dates. Reread the official notice before you sign a lease. From June to August the rains bring floods and storms, which means cut roads, power out and a commute that stops working. March to May is the quietest stretch on record. Seismic and volcanic risk does not care about the month, so it applies whenever you land. Ash from an active volcano can ground flights and sit in the air for days. Take a data plan that works outside your own district, and housing with a fallback for water and power. Assume a working week can lose a day to the weather.

Written with the help of AI from Mira Safe's sourced data on August 23, 2026 · does not replace local guidance How this analysis is produced →

1 earlier analysis

  1. August 21, 2026

    Over the last 12 months, Guatemala has experienced a mix of natural and social risks. Conflict remains the most frequent hazard, with five recorded events, and it carries the highest stakes for people. Floods and seasonal hazards like air quality issues, earthquakes, epidemics, and volcanoes also occur, especially during June, July, and August, which are the busiest months for hazards. An earthquake and a volcano event were severe, each with significant impact. The country is currently in an armed conflict watch, with no confirmed end date. The homicide rate is high at 23.4 per 100k, well above the world median of 2.1, indicating ongoing safety concerns. Official advisories from the UK FCDO recommend avoiding all but essential travel to certain areas, mainly due to conflict and safety risks.

To watch right now

  • Three alerts are open right now, more than this country carries in an ordinary month.
  • A volcanic episode is among them: ash, possible flight disruption, roads closed near the mountain.
  • An epidemic signal is live too, so check what the local health authority is asking of people arriving.
  • The state advisory is current at the reconsider-travel level and limited to some areas; reread it even if you checked it when you planned.

To watch as a rule

  • The rains, roughly June to August: floods and thunderstorms, cut roads, lost days.
  • Earthquakes, which have no season and can come in any month; one in the last 12 months was severe.
  • Active volcanoes: ash, the air you breathe, flights.
  • Day-to-day security in the areas the advisory targets; recorded homicides are 23.4 per 100,000 against a world median of 2.1.

Good reflexes

  • Read the official advisory and note which areas it covers before you book anything.
  • Keep offline maps, a charged power bank and some cash at home.
  • During the rains, check your route before you set off; floods close roads with little warning.
  • If a volcano is active, keep the windows shut against ash and follow what the local authority asks.
  • Save the number of the nearest clinic and of your embassy in the phone itself, not only in the cloud.

Guatemala: travel advisories and areas to avoid

What the 19 tracked governments officially advise for this country — converging or not. The everyday reference.

Avoid some areas
Converging advisories fromAustraliaAustriaCanadaUnited Kingdom (FCDO)FinlandIrelandJapanSouth KoreaNetherlandsNew ZealandPolandSpainSwitzerlandUS State Department

the official notice lists the areas concerned

Zones cited by government advisories

Advised against (all travel)

  • San Marcos
  • Huehuetenango
  • Guatemala
  • Petén
  • Zacapa
  • Escuintla
  • Izabal

Advised against unless essential

  • Huehuetenango
  • Petén
  • Guatemala
  • Escuintla
  • Guatemala
  • San Marcos

Flags show which of the tracked governments cite each zone. Red takes precedence over orange.

  • Advised against by 4+ states
  • Advised against by 1 state
  • Advised against unless essential

Guatemala: quality of life and safety in figures

Everyday living conditions, on the few indicators published for every country in the world. Background for a stay — not what is happening today.

Favourable vs the world median

  • New displacements, conflict: 0.03 per 1,000 people (median 0.48)

Watch out vs the world median

  • Homicides: 23.4 per 100,000 people (median 2.3)
  • Air quality (PM2.5): 29.7 µg/m³ (median 17.3)
  • Safely managed drinking water: 48.8 % of the population (median 80.5)
  • Road deaths: 22.9 per 100,000 people (median 15.2)
  • Physicians: 1.3 per 1,000 people (median 1.7)
  • Hospital beds: 0.45 per 1,000 people (median 2.4)
  • New displacements, disasters: 2.6 per 1,000 people (median 0.73)
Air quality (PM2.5)
29.7µg/m³ · 2023

Above the world median (17.3) · lower is better

WHO guideline: 5 µg/m³

Safely managed drinking water
48.8% of the population · 2024

Below the world median (80.5) · higher is better

Road deaths
22.9per 100,000 people · 2019

Above the world median (15.2) · lower is better

Physicians
1.3per 1,000 people · 2020

Below the world median (1.7) · higher is better

Hospital beds
0.45per 1,000 people · 2023

Below the world median (2.4) · higher is better

Life expectancy at birth
72.7years · 2024

Close to the world median (74.7) · higher is better

New displacements, conflict
0.03per 1,000 people · 2023

Below the world median (0.48) · lower is better

580 people in total

New displacements, disasters
2.6per 1,000 people · 2023

Above the world median (0.73) · lower is better

48,000 people in total

Refugees hosted
0.08per 1,000 people · 2025

1,586 people in total

4,088 asylum seekers

People living in internal displacement
573,000people · 2025

Security and violence

Structural risk (INFORM) · 2026

5.9/10 — high

Composite index by the JRC (European Commission): hazards & exposure, vulnerability, coping capacity. Structural background — not today's alerts.

23.4homicides per 100,000 people (2023)

Well above the world median (2.3).

Source: UNODC, via the World Bank (CC BY 4.0)

27documented deaths from organized armed violence, last 12 months

Source: UCDP (Uppsala University), CC BY 4.0 — academic records published 1–3 months later, through 2026-06. Not a live indicator.

Homicides are the only crime figure that exists worldwide under an open licence. It says nothing about theft or scams — no reliable worldwide data exists for those; official state advisories are the honest day-to-day reference.

National figures, published once a year and often a few years behind: an order of magnitude for daily life, never the situation right now. Sources: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) · UNHCR

Guatemala: natural disasters and risks in figures

Last 30 days · 18 events

Eventsof which severe
  • Earthquake14
  • Flood2
  • Storm11 1 severe
  • Air quality1

Last 12 months · 39 events

Eventsof which severe
  • Earthquake231 1 severe
  • Armed conflict5
  • Flood5
  • Storm11 1 severe
  • Travel advisory11 1 severe
  • Epidemic11 1 severe
  • Air quality1
  • Volcano1

+ 1 more type · 1 event

By month

Eventsof which severe
11
12
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
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What travellers lived

What people who stayed there report. A feeling is not a risk level: these figures complement official data, they don't replace it.

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Only ever published as anonymous aggregates, from 5 responses onward.

Mira informs you. Mira is not an emergency service — in an emergency, call local emergency services. Some of this page's content is generated with the help of AI from sourced, quantified data.

Go further

Situation reports

Latest situation reports published by humanitarian organisations for this country — via ReliefWeb (UN OCHA, CC BY).

Cities and destinations

The country's 21 regions

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