Is Balkh safe? Afghanistan travel risk
Is Balkh safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Balkh scores 75/100 on our travel risk index (Extreme). The US State Department rates Afghanistan Level 4 (Do Not Travel, updated 20 Feb 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all travel to the whole country (updated 30 Jul 2026); Canada says: avoid all travel. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Balkh scores 75/100 (Extreme). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and Afghanistan (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Balkh: nearest emergency and transport facilities, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: The US State Department and Government of Canada and UK FCDO advise against all travel here, so the score is held at 75 or higher.
A score of 75 is higher than the scores of 91% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the Afghanistan travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Territorial & Position Context
Geographically located in Balkh (36.7581° N, 66.8981° E), Balkh sits 322.6 km SE from Kabul at 348 m elevation.
Balkh
36.7581° N, 66.8981° E
348 m
Asia/Kabul
77,000
Critical Services & Regional Transit
Adjacent Localities in Afghanistan
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Most earthquake events within 100 km of Balkh happened in November (1 of 1 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
1 major seismic event recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M6.2 on 2 Nov 2025 (50 km away) — USGS details
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Afghanistan travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Afghanistan entry requirements.
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