Freetown Travel Risk — Elevated Risk (50/100)
Is Freetown safe right now? Checked 21 October 2026
Freetown scores 50/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates Sierra Leone Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 15 Sep 2025); the UK has no advice against travel; Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Natural disasters (score 40)
Transport safety (score 60)
October 14, 2026
Freetown, Sierra Leone has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 50 out of 100 (elevated risk tier); the highest-rated risk category is transport safety at 60/100; the lowest-rated category is natural disasters at 40/100; last updated October 14, 2026. For official nationwide security advisories, entry requirements, and health notices, see the Sierra Leone 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 Freetown to visit in 2026?
Freetown currently sits at 50/100 on our composite travel-risk index, which puts it in the elevated-risk tier. Travelers should plan more carefully than the global average — read the Actions section below before booking. The highest-rated risk category for Freetown is transport safety (60/100), and the lowest is natural disasters (40/100). This page was last updated on October 14, 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 (53/100) and health and medical access (64/100).
A score of 50 is higher than 64% of the cities we score.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 20, 2026
Freetown, Sierra Leone has an elevated risk level with a baseline composite score of 50 out of 100. The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 2 travel advisory, indicating some risk. The CDC health notice is Level 1 for global measles, meaning travelers should be aware of measles risk but no immediate health threat.
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 21, 2026 07:46 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 60/100): Use the safest available transit. For high-risk routes, prefer reputable carriers and avoid late-night driving.
- Disease & health (score 55/100): 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 Freetown
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 Freetown
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Families with children
Health/disaster risk is elevated. Confirm medical-evacuation cover, identify hospitals near your accommodation, and check seasonal hazard (storm/heat/quake) before you book.
Older travelers
Health/transport risk is elevated. Confirm medical-evacuation cover, plan rest between transfers, and locate English-capable medical care on arrival.
Business travelers
Digital/money risk is elevated. Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive work, use a VPN, watch for card-skimming at ATMs, and carry minimal cash.
LGBTQ+ travelers
Local laws and social attitudes toward LGBTQ+ travelers vary widely by country and are not captured in our category scores. The official advisory/political indicators are elevated. Read your government LGBTQ+ travel guidance carefully and weigh trip purpose against current conditions.
No group-specific warning is triggered in Freetown for solo travelers (Crime 48/100 · Transport 60/100) and women traveling solo (Crime 48/100): 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 | low |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | medium |
| Road safety | high |
| Public transport | high |
| Tourist scam risk | medium |
| Night safety | medium |
| Last updated | October 14, 2026 |
Live conditions in Freetown
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
Sierra Leone - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
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 | — | — | — | — |
| Wildfires | — | — | 3 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Most wildfire events within 100 km of Freetown happened in April (31 of 34 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 Sierra Leone travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Sierra Leone entry requirements.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
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 2026-10-21 07:32:35 UTC
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Freetown
The most weather-stable two-month window for Freetown is December–January, when typical daily temperatures run from about 25°C to 28°C and monthly rain averages 19 mm.
Seasonal planning flags include heavy rain season in May–October; monsoon in May–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 Freetown
Freetown has 6 hospitals, 8 police stations, 5 embassies, 6 pharmacies and 2 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: Aspen Medical Sierra Leone Private Hospital
- Hospital: Blue Shield Hospital
- Hospital: King Harman Road Government Hospital
- Hospital: Macauley Street Health Clinic
- Hospital: Princess Christian Maternity Hospital
- Hospital: Shriners Hospitals for Children
- Police: 3
- Police: EASTEND POLICE
- Police: New England Police
- Police: Police Headquarters
- Police: Police Headquarters
- Police: Police Headquarters
- Police: SLP National Headquarters
- Police: Western Police Station
- Embassy: Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire
- Embassy: Embassy of Kuwait
- Embassy: Guinea Embassy Freetown
- Embassy: Iranian Embassy
- Embassy: Iranian Embassy
- Pharmacy: Amalan
- Pharmacy: Amalan Pharmaceutical retail
- Pharmacy: bodicare pharmacy
- Pharmacy: City Pharmacy
- Pharmacy: Mohammed Butcher
- Pharmacy: Sarafina pharmaceutical
- Fire station: Aberdeen Fire Station
- Fire station: National Fire Force Headquarter
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 (Sierra Leone)
| Police | 999 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 999 |
| Fire | 999 |
| General | 999 |
See nearby hospitals, police, pharmacies, embassies, and fire stations on the safety map.
Medical access
| Hospital access | low |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | low |
| Emergency response | low |
| English-speaking care | unknown |
| Evacuation complexity | high |
The provided search results do not contain specific details regarding hospital access, emergency response, or medical care for travelers in Freetown.
Common scam patterns
- Mobile Money and WhatsApp Fraud. Sophisticated online scams, including mobile money fraud and WhatsApp scams, have expanded alongside digital banking services. Officials have noted that hackers also target internet domains to redirect users to fraudulent websites. Tip: Practice basic cyber hygiene and avoid clicking on unverified links or engaging with suspicious digital messages.
Area notes
- East End. The East End contains the city's largest population center and is generally the poorest part of the city.
- Lumley. Lumley features golden beaches that contribute to the lively spirit and tourism of Freetown.
- Central Freetown. Central Freetown is one of the three main political regions comprising the municipality.
Run a personalized assessment for Freetown
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 14, 2026 | 49 → 50 | moderate → elevated | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 0 → 0 | unknown | Data update Grounded open data research & citations |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 41 → 49 | moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
Every editorial change to Freetown'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 Freetown? Share your experience
Share your first-hand experience in Freetown
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 Freetown
- Travel Risk Calculator score (method v2): Security, crime and scams, health, natural hazards and current alerts for Freetown, 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.