Safest countries in Africa
All 54 African countries ordered by two official measures: the US State Department's travel advisory level and the UN's latest homicide rate, with deaths in armed conflict alongside.
What we mean by safest
We do not give countries a safety score of our own. We order them by two official measures that anyone can check. First, the US State Department's travel advisory level, from 1 (exercise normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel). Then, inside each level, by the UN's latest homicide rate per 100,000 people, lowest first.
Both measures have limits. The advisory is written for US travellers and covers crime, terrorism, unrest, health and kidnapping risk, sometimes for one region of a country only. The homicide rate counts one kind of violence, and for some countries the latest figure is several years old. The year is shown next to every rate.
View the data as a table
| Part | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1, exercise normal precautions | 4 countries | 7% |
| Level 2, exercise increased caution | 32 countries | 59% |
| Level 3, reconsider travel | 7 countries | 13% |
| Level 4, do not travel | 11 countries | 20% |
Source: US Department of State, travel advisories. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Advisories issued between 2023-06-27 and 2026-10-19.
Showing 54 of 54
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senegal | Western Africa | Level 1, exercise normal precautions | 2025-12-01 | 0.3 | 2015 | 25 |
| 2 | Zambia | Eastern Africa | Level 1, exercise normal precautions | 2023-07-31 | 5.2 | 2015 | Not published |
| 3 | Cabo Verde | Western Africa | Level 1, exercise normal precautions | 2025-12-18 | 7.0 | 2020 | Not published |
| 4 | Seychelles | Eastern Africa | Level 1, exercise normal precautions | 2025-12-09 | 8.0 | 2022 | Not published |
| 5 | Benin | Western Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-01-07 | 1.1 | 2017 | 77 |
| 6 | Algeria | Northern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-08-25 | 1.2 | 2023 | 26 |
| 7 | Egypt | Northern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2025-07-15 | 1.3 | 2017 | 231 |
| 8 | Morocco | Northern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-09-04 | 1.7 | 2023 | Not published |
| 9 | Malawi | Eastern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-05-14 | 1.8 | 2012 | Not published |
| 10 | Ghana | Western Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-07-07 | 1.8 | 2022 | Not published |
| 11 | Sierra Leone | Western Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2025-09-15 | 2.2 | 2020 | Not published |
| 12 | Mauritius | Eastern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2025-12-08 | 2.3 | 2022 | Not published |
| 13 | Liberia | Western Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2025-12-11 | 3.1 | 2012 | Not published |
| 14 | São Tomé and Príncipe | Middle Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-09-04 | 3.2 | 2011 | Not published |
| 15 | Mozambique | Eastern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-08-21 | 3.6 | 2011 | 151 |
| 16 | Tanzania | Eastern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-10-16 | 3.8 | 2020 | 25 |
| 17 | Angola | Middle Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-03-05 | 4.1 | 2016 | 25 |
| 18 | Tunisia | Northern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-05-21 | 4.7 | 2020 | 71 |
| 19 | Cameroon | Middle Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-05-15 | 6.8 | 2022 | 231 |
| 20 | Zimbabwe | Eastern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2023-06-27 | 6.8 | 2022 | Not published |
| 21 | Namibia | Southern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-05-15 | 11.2 | 2021 | Not published |
| 22 | Botswana | Southern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-06-17 | 11.4 | 2021 | Not published |
| 23 | Eswatini | Southern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-07-10 | 12.5 | 2021 | Not published |
| 24 | Eritrea | Eastern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2023-07-31 | 15.6 | 2012 | 4 |
| 25 | South Africa | Southern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2025-05-27 | 43.7 | 2022 | Not published |
| 26 | Comoros | Eastern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-01-12 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 27 | Congo | Middle Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2024-10-02 | Not published | Not published | 3 |
| 28 | Côte d'Ivoire | Western Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-02-18 | Not published | Not published | 98 |
| 29 | Djibouti | Eastern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2025-03-06 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 30 | Equatorial Guinea | Middle Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2025-10-07 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 31 | Gabon | Middle Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-03-30 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 32 | Gambia | Western Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-01-16 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 33 | Guinea | Western Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-02-25 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 34 | Lesotho | Southern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-06-17 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 35 | Madagascar | Eastern Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2025-12-05 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 36 | Togo | Western Africa | Level 2, exercise increased caution | 2026-03-09 | Not published | Not published | 46 |
| 37 | Mauritania | Western Africa | Level 3, reconsider travel | 2026-08-18 | 1.0 | 2020 | 3 |
| 38 | Guinea-Bissau | Western Africa | Level 3, reconsider travel | 2025-12-11 | 1.1 | 2017 | Not published |
| 39 | Rwanda | Eastern Africa | Level 3, reconsider travel | 2026-06-04 | 3.6 | 2020 | 1 |
| 40 | Kenya | Eastern Africa | Level 3, reconsider travel | 2026-10-19 | 4.9 | 2022 | 66 |
| 41 | Burundi | Eastern Africa | Level 3, reconsider travel | 2025-04-29 | 5.7 | 2016 | 19 |
| 42 | Ethiopia | Eastern Africa | Level 3, reconsider travel | 2026-08-27 | 8.5 | 2012 | 2,824 |
| 43 | Nigeria | Western Africa | Level 3, reconsider travel | 2026-06-12 | 15.8 | 2023 | 1,486 |
| 44 | Burkina Faso | Western Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-05-04 | 1.3 | 2017 | 2,199 |
| 45 | Niger | Western Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-07-09 | 4.4 | 2012 | 952 |
| 46 | Uganda | Eastern Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-06-04 | 9.0 | 2023 | 25 |
| 47 | South Sudan | Eastern Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-05-17 | 14.0 | 2012 | 2 |
| 48 | Central African Republic | Middle Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-01-15 | 20.1 | 2016 | 177 |
| 49 | Chad | Middle Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-04-28 | Not published | Not published | 69 |
| 50 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Middle Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-07-15 | Not published | Not published | 1,138 |
| 51 | Libya | Northern Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-08-31 | Not published | Not published | 2 |
| 52 | Mali | Western Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-06-08 | Not published | Not published | 1,008 |
| 53 | Somalia | Eastern Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-05-21 | Not published | Not published | 2,284 |
| 54 | Sudan | Northern Africa | Level 4, do not travel | 2026-05-15 | Not published | Not published | 4,680 |
Source: US Department of State, travel advisories; World Bank, World Development Indicators (UN Office on Drugs and Crime); World Bank, World Development Indicators (Uppsala Conflict Data Program). Last checked 24 October 2026.
Read the advisory for each country
Senegal, Zambia, Cabo Verde, Seychelles, Benin, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Malawi, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Mauritius, Liberia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Angola, Tunisia, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, Eritrea, South Africa, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Lesotho, Madagascar, Togo, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Somalia, Sudan
How to read this list
- Advisory levels change when the State Department reissues an advisory. We refresh them from the official feed and show the date each one was issued.
- Homicide rates are the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's figures, published by the World Bank. 17 of the 54 countries have no published rate, and they are placed after the countries with a rate in their level.
- Conflict deaths come from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program through the World Bank. A blank means no figure was published, not that there were no deaths.
Method and sources
Advisory levels come from the US State Department's official advisory feed. Homicide rates and conflict deaths come from the World Bank's World Development Indicators. We do not fill gaps or adjust any figure. We checked every source on 24 October 2026.
US travel advisories, homicide data, conflict deaths data. Download all the figures as CSV.
More rankings
- All Africa rankings
- Richest countries in Africa
- Poorest countries in Africa
- Largest economies in Africa
- African countries by population
- Life expectancy in Africa by country
- Largest countries in Africa by area
- Smallest countries in Africa
- Youngest presidents in Africa
- Oldest presidents in Africa
- Longest serving presidents in Africa
Frequently asked questions
Is this your own safety index?
No. We put two official measures side by side and order the countries by them, in the open. The method is written out on this page so anyone can check or redo it.
Why use the US travel advisory?
It is updated often, covers every African country and is free to republish. Other governments publish their own advice, which can differ, so check your own government's advice before you travel.
Why are some countries with a low homicide rate placed lower?
Because the advisory level comes first. A country can have a low homicide rate and still carry a higher advisory because of terrorism, kidnapping or unrest in part of the country.
Is the whole country unsafe if it is at level 4?
Not always. Many advisories name particular regions. Open the advisory linked in the table to see which areas it covers.
How often is this page updated?
Advisory levels are refreshed from the State Department feed. Homicide and conflict figures change when the World Bank publishes new data, usually a few times a year.