Phnom Penh Travel Risk — Moderate Risk (37/100)
Is Phnom Penh safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Phnom Penh scores 37/100 on our travel risk index (Moderate). The US State Department rates Cambodia Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 15 Sep 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country (updated 19 Mar 2026); Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Political instability (score 25)
Transport safety (score 45)
September 27, 2026
Phnom Penh, Cambodia has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 37 out of 100 (moderate risk tier); the highest-rated risk category is transport safety at 45/100; the lowest-rated category is political instability at 25/100; last updated September 27, 2026. For official nationwide security advisories, entry requirements, and health notices, see the Cambodia travel risk page. Real-time conditions below include live weather, official advisory levels, GDACS disaster alerts, and current news.
Get a personalized assessment for your tripHow safe is Phnom Penh to visit in 2026?
Phnom Penh currently sits at 37/100 on our composite travel-risk index, which puts it in the moderate-risk tier. Most travelers will be fine with normal precautions, but a few categories below score high enough that planning matters. The highest-rated risk category for Phnom Penh is transport safety (45/100), and the lowest is political instability (25/100). This page was last updated on September 27, 2026; the baseline category scores reflect analytical indicators, layered with live conditions throughout the day. Live conditions — weather and air quality every 30 minutes, US State Department advisory every 6 hours, GDACS disaster alerts every 30 minutes, CDC health notices every 12 hours, and news every hour — are cached at the source and refreshed automatically when stale.
Driven by: security (46/100) and natural hazards (40/100).
A score of 37 is higher than 35% of the cities we score.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 16, 2026
Phnom Penh currently holds a moderate baseline risk score of 37 out of 100 with a US State Department Advisory Level 2. An ongoing drought alert affects Cambodia and several neighboring countries, alongside a Level 1 global dengue health notice from the CDC. Recent headlines feature safety guarantees from Prime Minister Hun Manet and ongoing efforts regarding tourism rebounds and occupational safety training.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Oct 16, 2026 17:23 UTC
What should I do now?
- Run a real assessment. Open the calculator for live data (weather, advisory, news) layered onto this baseline.
- Transport safety (score 45/100): Use the safest available transit. For high-risk routes, prefer reputable carriers and avoid late-night driving.
- Disease & health (score 40/100): Check CDC and WHO advice for required vaccinations. Pack basic medications. Confirm your travel insurance covers medical evacuation.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Day vs Night Safety in Phnom Penh
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Daytime conditions are generally secure along major corridors and commercial districts. Keep bags zipped and avoid displaying high-value items openly.
Risk levels elevate noticeably after dark outside main central zones. Avoid walking alone through unlit parks, alleys, or quiet transit stations; favor pre-booked door-to-door transport.
Safety by Traveler Type in Phnom Penh
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
No group-specific warning is triggered in Phnom Penh for solo travelers (Crime 35/100 · Transport 45/100), women traveling solo (Crime 35/100), families with children (Health 40/100 · Natural disaster 25/100), older travelers (Health 40/100 · Transport 45/100), business travelers (Digital 30/100 · Money 35/100 · Transport 45/100) and lgbtq+ travelers (Advisory 30/100 · Political 25/100): these scores sit in the low-to-moderate range, so standard precautions apply. Local laws affecting LGBTQ+ travelers and gender-specific incident rates are not captured in our scores; check your government's travel guidance.
View complete category score breakdown & baseline metrics
Score layers
Safety categories
Source: Grounded open data research & citations
Quick facts
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | medium |
| Road safety | medium |
| Public transport | medium |
| Tourist scam risk | medium |
| Night safety | medium |
| Last updated | September 27, 2026 |
Live conditions in Phnom Penh
Real-time data refreshed from public sources — weather and air quality from Open-Meteo, official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For an AI-synthesized briefing tailored to your specific trip, run a personalized assessment.
Official travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Cambodia - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Disaster alerts
Active Disaster Alerts
-
Drought is on going in Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam GREEN · ~20 km away · 2026-04-30
The Drought notification level is Green.
“~N km away” = event centroid within ~500 km of this location; “country-wide” = a national/regional alert that may not be near this specific city. Source: GDACS · fetched 2026-10-16 17:23:17 UTC
Natural hazard calendar & history
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — |
| Wildfires | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of Phnom Penh happened in January, August and October (3 of 3 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Cambodia travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Cambodia entry requirements.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-10-02
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Vietnam, Maldives, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mar
-
Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-09-23
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
-
Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-10-16 07:26:45 UTC
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Phnom Penh
The most weather-stable two-month window for Phnom Penh is December–January, when typical daily temperatures run from about 22°C to 31°C and monthly rain averages 32 mm.
Seasonal planning flags include typhoon season in May–November; heavy rain season in September; monsoon in September–October. These are climate patterns, not forecasts.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Sep 8, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Practical safety map
Safety infrastructure nearby in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh has 9 hospitals, 8 police stations, 5 embassies, 4 pharmacies and 3 fire stations within 7 km of the city center in the latest OpenStreetMap extract.
The interactive map loads when it approaches the viewport.
Facility list (works without JavaScript)
- Hospital: Hope Worldwide - Community Medical Center
- Hospital: Kantha Bopha Children Hospital
- Hospital: Kantha Bopha IV Children Hospital
- Hospital: khum San's Hospital
- Hospital: National Maternal and Child Health Center
- Hospital: Phnom Penh Municipal Hospital
- Hospital: Preah Ang Duong Hospital
- Hospital: Preah Ket Mealea Hospital
- Hospital: វិសាខា
- Police: Bodyguard Department
- Police: Daun Penh District Police Station
- Police: Foreigner's Police Liaison Office
- Police: khách sạn
- Police: Police Mitapheath
- Police: Police Sras Chak
- Police: Prampi Makara District Police Station
- Police: Wat Phnom Police Station
- Embassy: Embassy of Cuba
- Embassy: Embassy of India
- Embassy: Embassy of Sweden
- Embassy: Embassy of the United States of America
- Embassy: German Embassy Phnom Penh
- Pharmacy: Pharmashop
- Pharmacy: Phsar Tapang Pharmacy
- Pharmacy: Phsar Tapang Thmey Pharmacy
- Pharmacy: Ponleu Preah Chan Branch Pharmacy
- Fire station: Koh Pich Fire Brigade
- Fire station: Peng Huoth Fire Station
- Fire station: Phnom Penh Fire Brigade
Map and facility data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Locations can be incomplete or outdated; confirm before relying on them. See this destination’s numbers or browse emergency numbers by country.
Emergency numbers (Cambodia)
| Police | 117 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 119 |
| Fire | 118 |
| General | 117 |
See nearby hospitals, police, pharmacies, embassies, and fire stations on the safety map.
Medical access
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | medium |
| Emergency response | medium |
| English-speaking care | unknown |
| Evacuation complexity | medium |
In Phnom Penh, travelers can call 119 or go directly to a hospital in case of emergency. Outside of Phnom Penh, medical infrastructure is more limited and visitors must contact hospitals directly.
Common scam patterns
- Cyber and Fraud Scam Operations. Phnom Penh is noted as one of the areas associated with cyber-slavery and illicit fraud operations. Travelers should remain extremely vigilant regarding suspicious job or online offers. Tip: Avoid engaging with unverified employment or online investment schemes.
Area notes
- River front area. This area is frequently visited by tourists and requires maintaining a high level of personal security awareness.
Nearest embassies & consulates
Find your home country's diplomatic mission in Cambodia for consular support, lost passports, or citizen emergencies:
Run a personalized assessment for Phnom Penh
Get a tailored briefing in ~15 seconds, with live weather, advisories, and recent news.
Calculate my trip riskScore history
| When | Score change | Tier | Reason / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2026 | 38 → 37 | moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Oct 6, 2026 | 0 → 0 | unknown | Data update Grounded open data research & citations |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 41 → 38 | moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| May 15, 2026 | — → 41 | moderate | Data update Editorial baseline 2026-05-14 (round 2: Numbeo + WHO + State Dept + GPI + EPI references) |
Every editorial change to Phnom Penh's composite score is logged here, with the source and reason for the change. Live data overlays (weather, advisories, disaster alerts, news) refresh continuously on their own cadences and are not recorded as score changes — see the Live conditions section above for current overlay state.
Been to Phnom Penh? Share your experience
Share your first-hand experience in Phnom Penh
Help other travellers stay safe. Share recent observations regarding street safety, transit, scams, or neighbourhood conditions. All submissions are moderated before publishing.
Transparency & Sources
We document the baseline sources, coverage scope, and data inputs for this destination below.
View full data sources, coverage scope, and registry notes
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for Phnom Penh
- Travel Risk Calculator score (method v2): Security, crime and scams, health, natural hazards and current alerts for Phnom Penh, from US, UK and Canadian advisories, INFORM, World Bank, UCDP, CDC, GDACS, USGS and OpenStreetMap
- Editorial baseline (Travel Risk Calculator): City-level threat scoring across 9 categories (crime, health, advisory, political, disaster, transport, environmental, digital security, money safety)
Live data overlays on this page refresh asynchronously on the source cadences shown above. Run an assessment to create a trip-specific briefing using your dates and traveler profile.
Baseline scope
- Category scores represent an analytical baseline, updated from official feeds and public records.
Coverage notes
- Transport-hub safety notes (airport, train stations).
Methodology · Full data-source registry · Report a correction
Popular travel-safety searches right now
Cities our visitors look up most frequently — useful for trip planning, comparison, or just curiosity.
PAGE LAST UPDATED:
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.