🌍 Africa travel risk: country-by-country safety guide

Africa is 54 countries spanning everything from some of the world’s safest, most stable destinations to a handful of active conflict zones — so a single “Africa” risk number means little. The most useful mental model is regional. North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt) is heavily touristed and broadly manageable with city smarts. East Africa’s safari circuit (Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda) is mature and well-trodden. Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa) mixes excellent infrastructure with sharp urban crime gradients. The Sahel and parts of Central Africa carry the continent’s highest government advisory levels and need genuine pre-trip scrutiny.

Common traveler risks across Africa

• Opportunistic urban crime (bag-snatching, ATM and taxi scams) in major cities — far more common than violent crime against tourists.
• Road safety is statistically the single biggest danger: poor road quality, night driving, and informal minibus transport.
• Malaria and other vector-borne disease across much of sub-Saharan Africa — prophylaxis and repellent matter more than crime worry in many areas.
• A few countries carry “do not travel” advisories for terrorism or armed conflict; these are geographically concentrated, not continent-wide.

Seasonal & weather risk

Rainy seasons vary by region and can wash out roads and raise flood and disease risk; East African long rains run roughly March–May, West African rains mid-year. Safari and desert travel is generally easiest in the dry season.

Getting around safely

Pre-booked or hotel-arranged transport beats hailing on the street in most cities. Domestic aviation safety varies — check the carrier. Self-driving is rewarding in Southern Africa but risky in the Sahel and Central Africa.

Health & medical access

Yellow-fever vaccination is required for entry to many countries (carry the certificate). Malaria risk is real across the tropics; confirm prophylaxis with a travel clinic. Private hospitals in capital cities are good; rural medical evacuation can be complex — insurance with evac cover is strongly advised.

This is a regional overview. Risk varies sharply by country and city — open any country below for its live US State Department advisory, GDACS disaster alerts, CDC health notices, and city-level files. Always verify against your own government’s advisory before you travel.

Country	Quality	Index status	Demand (30d)
Algeria	70	indexable	2279
Angola	75	indexable	1082
Benin	70	indexable	1276
Botswana	65	indexable	172
Burkina Faso	88	indexable	530
Burundi	83	indexable	111
Cabo Verde	65	indexable	103
Cameroon	75	indexable	779
Central African Republic	83	indexable	156
Chad	83	indexable	261
Comoros	65	indexable	55
Congo (Brazzaville)	65	indexable	275
Congo (Kinshasa)	78	indexable	943
Côte d’Ivoire	70	indexable	561
Djibouti	65	indexable	22
Egypt	77	indexable	3134
Equatorial Guinea	65	indexable	120
Eritrea	65	indexable	112
Eswatini	65	indexable	42
Ethiopia	85	indexable	1521
Gabon	65	indexable	230
Gambia, The	65	indexable	127
Ghana	72	indexable	835
Guinea	65	indexable	738
Guinea-Bissau	83	indexable	93
Kenya	90	indexable	1459
Lesotho	65	indexable	144
Liberia	65	indexable	437
Libya	80	indexable	338
Madagascar	65	indexable	1734
Malawi	65	indexable	191
Mali	83	indexable	1468
Mauritania	83	indexable	203
Mauritius	65	indexable	103
Mayotte	65	indexable	63
Morocco	80	indexable	5274
Mozambique	75	indexable	423
Namibia	65	indexable	189
Niger	83	indexable	216
Nigeria	95	indexable	2186
Reunion	60	indexable	9
Rwanda	83	indexable	359
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha	65	indexable	10
Sao Tome and Principe	65	indexable	18
Senegal	75	indexable	787
Seychelles	60	indexable	4
Sierra Leone	65	indexable	365
Somalia	85	indexable	502
South Africa	77	indexable	3033
South Sudan	83	indexable	123
Sudan	85	indexable	354
Tanzania	75	indexable	1037
Togo	65	indexable	157
Tunisia	72	indexable	880
Uganda	88	indexable	1295
Zambia	70	indexable	324
Zimbabwe	65	indexable	231

• Quality column — a 0–100 score derived from the depth of editorial data we have for that country (baseline scores, emergency numbers, reviewed cities, recent demand, content depth).
• Index status — valid canonical country pages are indexable. A blocked/noindex row identifies a duplicate, withdrawn record, or redirect source that should not compete with its canonical URL.
• Demand — anonymized search counts on Travel Risk Calculator over the last 30 days. High-demand low-quality countries are our enrichment priorities.
• Review status and quality score prioritize improvements; neither is used to hide a legitimate canonical destination.

Disclaimer

Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.