🌍 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	715
Angola	75	indexable	321
Benin	70	indexable	348
Botswana	65	indexable	58
Burkina Faso	88	indexable	118
Burundi	83	indexable	52
Cabo Verde	65	indexable	44
Cameroon	75	indexable	211
Central African Republic	83	indexable	110
Chad	83	indexable	92
Comoros	65	indexable	21
Congo (Brazzaville)	65	indexable	111
Congo (Kinshasa)	70	indexable	379
Côte d’Ivoire	70	indexable	126
Djibouti	65	indexable	22
Egypt	77	indexable	722
Equatorial Guinea	65	indexable	40
Eritrea	65	indexable	32
Eswatini	65	indexable	26
Ethiopia	85	indexable	210
Gabon	65	indexable	51
Gambia, The	65	indexable	36
Ghana	72	indexable	185
Guinea	68	indexable	77
Guinea-Bissau	83	indexable	27
Kenya	67	indexable	283
Lesotho	65	indexable	49
Liberia	65	indexable	57
Libya	80	indexable	136
Madagascar	68	indexable	1346
Malawi	65	indexable	58
Mali	83	indexable	390
Mauritania	83	indexable	51
Mauritius	65	indexable	34
Mayotte	65	indexable	34
Morocco	72	indexable	714
Mozambique	75	indexable	134
Namibia	65	indexable	75
Niger	83	indexable	70
Nigeria	95	indexable	624
Reunion	63	indexable	21
Rwanda	83	indexable	86
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha	63	indexable	11
Sao Tome and Principe	65	indexable	23
Senegal	75	indexable	100
Seychelles	63	indexable	14
Sierra Leone	65	indexable	85
Somalia	85	indexable	218
South Africa	77	indexable	688
South Sudan	83	indexable	54
Sudan	85	indexable	159
Tanzania	90	indexable	272
Togo	65	indexable	45
Tunisia	67	indexable	256
Uganda	88	indexable	254
Zambia	70	indexable	140
Zimbabwe	65	indexable	110

• 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.