Astana

Is Astana safe?

Yes, for a normal city visit. Kazakhstan's capital is new, spread out and heavily policed, and serious crime against visitors is uncommon. Kazakhstan recorded 2.6 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2022, the US keeps the country at Level 1, and Astana's police reported 9.3% fewer registered crimes in the first half of 2026 than a year earlier.

The things to plan for are the night, the cold and the winter air. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports violent thefts around bars and clubs in Astana and advises against walking alone at night. January nights average −17°C. We score Astana 72 out of 100, above Almaty (69), which has worse smog and a real earthquake risk, and below Tashkent (74), where people feel much safer at night. Our Kazakhstan page covers the rest of the country.

Crime and the late-night problem

Astana is a city of wide avenues, government buildings and new residential blocks, and it watches itself closely. In 2025 the head of the city police said more than 200,000 video cameras were running, 36,000 of them linked to the police control centre. Daytime crime against visitors is rare.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary names one pattern to know about. Violent thefts happen in Astana, as in Almaty and the western oil towns, mainly at night in and around nightclubs and bars or when people arrive home late. It also warns that drink spiking can lead to sexual assault. That fits the survey picture: only 67% of people in Kazakhstan told Gallup in 2025 that they feel safe walking alone at night, against 86% in Uzbekistan. In practice, enjoy the evening on the Left Bank or in the older streets of the Right Bank, keep your drink in sight, and take an app taxi home.

Pickpocketing is the everyday risk. The FCDO calls it very common in markets and on public transport in Kazakhstan, and says thieves assume foreigners carry valuables. Astana has fewer tourist crowds than Almaty, but keep your phone in a front pocket on buses and in malls. Use ATMs inside banks, as card skimming happens.

Carry your passport: police can ask for ID and do not accept copies. Drinking in the street can get you a fine or a night in a police cell.

Roads and crossing the street

Astana's roads are safer than the national average, but traffic is getting busier. The city prosecutor counted 28 road deaths and 1,383 injuries in the first nine months of 2024, which works out at roughly 2.5 deaths per 100,000 people a year. Crashes with casualties then rose from 1,891 in 2024 to 2,074 in 2025, according to official figures reported by NewTimes.kz, with the Esil district on the Left Bank recording the most.

Prosecutors blamed drivers who fail to give way at crossings, run red lights and drive too close. For a pedestrian, the avenues are wide and fast, and in winter ice, snow and early darkness make drivers slower to see you. Cross at lights or underpasses and wear something bright after dark. Between cities, the train or a flight is safer than the steppe highways in snow.

The cold

Astana is one of the coldest capitals in the world, and the cold is the hazard most visitors underestimate. ERA5 reanalysis data for 2016–2025 show January nights averaging −17°C, about four nights a year at −30°C or colder, and a lowest reading of −37.6°C. Open steppe wind and blowing snow make it feel worse and can cut visibility on the roads.

Dress for it: insulated boots with a good grip, a hat that covers your ears, a face covering and gloves. Plan short walks between heated buildings and take taxis on the coldest days. Frostbite on exposed skin can set in quickly in wind at those temperatures.

Earthquakes are not a real concern here, unlike in Almaty: USGS lists only one quake above magnitude 5 within 400 km of the city since 1900.

Air and medical care

IQAir measured an annual average of 15.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matterPM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary (PM2.5) in Astana in 2024, about three times the WHO guideline. That is the cleanest air among the large Central Asian cities we cover, but winter is much worse than the average, as coal-fired heating runs and cold, still air holds the smoke. If you have asthma or a heart condition, check an air quality app in winter and bring an N95 mask.

Private clinics in Astana and Almaty are the best option for visitors in Kazakhstan. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says medical facilities are not as advanced as in the UK and staff rarely speak English, so get insurance that covers evacuation and bring your own medicines. Drink bottled or boiled water.

How we scored it

Violent crime (82) is Astana's strongest factor, on Kazakhstan's national homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary, as the city publishes no figure of its own. Night safety (64) is the weakest, scored level with Almaty because the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary gives both cities the same advice, followed by health and environment (66). Traffic safety (72) uses the prosecutor's nine-month 2024 count, so confidence is medium.