Most Dangerous Countries for Travel

According to the World Tourism Organization, tourism to every continent (save for Antarctica) increased in 2018. In fact, international tourism is at a never before seen peak, spurned by an increase in average incomes around the world, the convenience of booking trips over the internet, and the development of additional tourist sector infrastructure in South and Southeast Asia.

With all of the increased tourist traffic, does that mean that the world has become a safer place for travelers? For some regions — Southeast Asia and South America — the answer is yes, but there remains a lot of countries where a number of factors — with the threat of violence being chief among them — render said countries seriously risky prospects for the budding world traveler.

In order to help you keep tabs on which countries pose the greatest risks to you and your traveling companions, we’ve compiled a ranking of the most dangerous countries for tourists. Our dangerousness score is based on five factors: security, political conditions, the quality of medical help, environmental factors, and infrastructure.

Each of these factors is determined using two or more quantitative variables and weighted based on their relevance to tourists. Since tourists are typically visiting a country for a short duration, threats to their security are the most pressing, so that factor has been given a weight of 50%, while the factors’ weights range from 10% to 15%.

What makes these countries so dangerous?

In short, security threats are what makes the countries at the top of the list so dangerous for tourists, although these threats emerge from different angles.

#1 Pakistan, #2 Afghanistan, and #4 Iraq do not have the highest homicide rates of the countries on the list, but these countries do have a lot of active terrorist organizations operating within their borders, making them risky for tourists not wanting to be harmed in a public bombing. Their high threat of terrorist violence earns them high 3 or 4 Advisory Levels from the U.S. State Department.

The Sub-Saharan African countries in the top ten — #3 Central African Republic, #6 Somalia, and #7 Mali — all pose a risk from terrorist action, not as high as in the most dangerous Near East countries, yet have higher homicide rates and receive higher scores in other factors, including unstable governments, high risk of road death (C.A.R.), poor medical care, and high risk of death attributed to the environment.

The Latin American nations in the top ten, #5 El Salvador and #9 Honduras, have catastrophically high homicide rates that catapult them to the front end of the list, and has compelled many of the citizens of these violent, fraught nations to seek asylum in the United States, accounting for much of the supposed migrant crisis at the southern U.S. border.

Other nations high on the list, like #8 Syria and #11 Yemen are currently undergoing vicious, dragged out civil wars, which should be enough reason for tourists to steer clear of them, for the time being.

Where are the most dangerous (and safest) countries located?

A majority of the most dangerous countries for tourists are clustered in two main regions: the Near East and Sub-Saharan Africa, which together account for 25 of the top 30 most dangerous in the world.

Historically, as in recent times, Near East nations have been plagued by terrorism, sectarian violence, and war. Many of these countries, including #2 Afghanistan, #4 Iraq, and #8 Syria have experienced significant intervention by foreign militaries, which has often increased instability in these nations. The high number of active terrorist organizations in the region (9 in Pakistan, 5 in Afghanistan) further add to the security risk posed towards tourists.

Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for over 50% of the top 30, is plagued by similar issues of violence and terrorism as those of the Near East (although to a slightly lesser degree), with the added concerns of a high risk of disease, lack of clean food and potable water, and poor infrastructure.

The other region with a large presence near the top of the ranking is Central America, with the staggeringly high homicide rates of El Salvador (#5) and Honduras (#9) propelling them into the top ten.

In general, these are the regions of the world tourists may consider it wise to avoid, or enter with extreme caution.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Western Europe is the safest region to travel to, with 15 of the 20 safest nations in the ranking located in the region.