George Town Travel Risk — Moderate Risk (32/100)
Is George Town safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
George Town scores 32/100 on our travel risk index (Moderate). The US State Department rates Malaysia Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions, updated 22 Feb 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country (updated 19 Mar 2026); Canada says: exercise normal security precautions (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 15)
Transport safety (score 45)
September 27, 2026
George Town, Malaysia has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 32 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 15/100; last updated September 27, 2026. For official nationwide security advisories, entry requirements, and health notices, see the Malaysia 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 George Town to visit in 2026?
George Town currently sits at 32/100 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 George Town is transport safety (45/100), and the lowest is political instability (15/100). 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: natural hazards (54/100) and security (33/100).
A score of 32 is higher than the scores of 36% of the 241 countries we cover.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 12, 2026
George Town, Malaysia maintains a moderate baseline risk with a Level 1 travel advisory from the US State Department. Travelers should remain aware of ongoing regional drought conditions affecting Malaysia and a Level 1 global dengue health notice from the CDC.
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 09:02 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.
- Natural disasters (score 42/100): Check seasonal hazard (hurricane, monsoon, earthquake) for your dates. Identify hotel evacuation routes on arrival.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Day vs Night Safety in George Town
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 George Town
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
No group-specific warning is triggered in George Town for solo travelers (Crime 28/100 · Transport 45/100), women traveling solo (Crime 28/100), families with children (Health 38/100 · Natural disaster 42/100), older travelers (Health 38/100 · Transport 45/100), business travelers (Digital 35/100 · Money 30/100 · Transport 45/100) and lgbtq+ travelers (Advisory 32/100 · Political 15/100): 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.
Score layers
Safety categories
Source: Grounded open data research & citations
Quick facts
| Hospital access | high |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | low |
| Road safety | medium |
| Public transport | medium |
| Tourist scam risk | medium |
| Night safety | medium |
| Last updated | September 27, 2026 |
Live conditions in George Town
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 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions
Malaysia - Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
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 · country-wide · 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 09:02:20 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 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Most flood events within 100 km of George Town happened in September, October and November (9 of 15 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 Malaysia travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Malaysia 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 George Town
The most weather-stable two-month window for George Town is January–February, when typical daily temperatures run from about 24°C to 30°C and monthly rain averages 108 mm.
Seasonal planning flags include monsoon in March–April and August–December; heavy rain season in April and September–November; typhoon season in May–November. These are climate patterns, not forecasts.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Oct 1, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Emergency numbers (Malaysia)
| Police | 999 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 999 |
| Fire | 994 |
| General | 999 |
Medical access
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | medium |
| Emergency response | medium |
| English-speaking care | unknown |
| Evacuation complexity | medium |
The search results do not provide specific information about hospital quality, emergency response times, English language support, pharmacy availability, or evacuation complexity in George Town. Travelers should consult official Malaysian health resources or their embassy for up‑to‑date medical guidance.
Common scam patterns
- label. Scammers impersonate police, health officials, or bank workers in phone calls, known as Macau scams. Victims may be pressured to provide personal or financial information. Tip: Never share personal details or transfer money to callers claiming to be authorities.
- label. Pickpocketing is reported as a common petty crime in busy tourist areas of George Town. Tourists may be targeted in crowded streets, markets, and public transport. Tip: Keep valuables secured and stay aware of your surroundings in crowded places.
Area notes
- George Town Historic Center. The historic center is busy, walkable, and considered one of the safest places for travelers.
- Batu Ferringhi Beach. While popular with tourists, the area has reported jellyfish incidents and requires caution.
Run a personalized assessment for George Town
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Calculate my trip riskScore history
| When | Score change | Tier | Reason / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 2026 | 33 → 32 | moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 34 → 33 | moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Jun 14, 2026 | 0 → 0 | unknown | Data update Grounded open data research & citations |
Every editorial change to George Town'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.
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Transparency & Sources
We document the baseline sources, coverage scope, and data inputs for this destination below.
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for George Town
- Travel Risk Calculator score (method v2): Security, crime and scams, health, natural hazards and current alerts for George Town, 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
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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.