Algeria

Is Algeria safe to visit?

The north is, for most visitors. Algeria's 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 is low, 1.2 per 100,000 people in 2023 according to UNODC, below Morocco's and Tunisia's, and a police presence so visible 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 calls it intrusive. Algiers, Oran, Constantine and the Roman ruins of Timgad and Djemila see few foreign tourists and little crime aimed at them. The problems are elsewhere: a terrorism and kidnapping threat that closes much of the far south and the border areas, and roads that kill thousands each year.

We score Algeria 64, in the same range as Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Low crime lifts it; the conflict score holds it back.

Terrorism and the no-go south

The US raised the stakes in August 2026. Its advisory stays at Level 2 for the country as a whole, but it now says do not travel to the eastern and southern border areas, Bordj Badji Mokhtar, Illizi, In Guezzam, In Salah, Tamanrasset, Tindouf and the mountains of Tebessa wilaya, nor to remote parts of the Sahara without an organised tour. Tamanrasset is the gateway to the Hoggar mountains, so this rules out one of the country's best-known desert trips for anyone following US advice.

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 advises against all travel within 30 km of the borders with Libya, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, and parts of the Tunisian border, and against all but essential travel along the rest of the Tunisian frontier. It says terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks anywhere in the country, with Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) the best-known group, and names rural and mountainous areas between Algiers and Tunisia as higher risk. Kidnap for ransom is the main danger in the south, where groups from the Sahel cross porous borders.

Algeria ranks 91st of 163 on the 2026 Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary, and its score worsened over the year. The security forces run effective counter-terrorism operations, and attacks in recent years have mostly targeted them rather than visitors, but the threat is real enough that we score conflict at 52.

Politics, France and Morocco

Algeria's quarrels with its neighbours affect travellers directly. The land border with Morocco is closed, so overland trips across the Maghreb have to skip a country or fly. Relations with France, home to a large Algerian diaspora, have been bad since 2024. Each side expelled 12 of the other's officials in April 2025; an Algerian court jailed a French sports journalist for seven years in July 2025 on terrorism-related charges after he reported in Kabylia; and a Franco-Algerian writer arrested at Algiers airport in November 2024 was pardoned a year later. Both governments have since tried to restart talks, but journalists, researchers and dual nationals should take advice before going.

Demonstrations are restricted. Avoid political gatherings and follow police instructions at the frequent checkpoints. Drones, binoculars and some camera equipment need authorisation at customs.

Roads are the most likely danger

WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 18.3 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, more than twice the official count because it allows for deaths that never reach police records. The national road safety agency (DNSR) counted 3,838 deaths in 2025, up 2.6% on 2024, with 26,976 injury crashes, or about 8 per 100,000. The agency blames human error for more than 96% of crashes.

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 describes very little lane discipline, confusion at roundabouts, unlit roads and vehicles at night, sand drifts, large potholes and speed bumps. Avoid driving between towns after dark, slow down well before checkpoints, and check fuel stops before long desert stretches. Trains are generally safe, if slower. Taxis are scarce after dark, so ask the driver who brings you to come back.

Health, heat and earthquakes

Algeria has been certified malaria-free by WHO since 2019. CDC says rabid dogs are common, so avoid strays and get any bite treated quickly. Private clinics in the big cities are usually better than state hospitals, but you need French or Arabic, and the desert south is far from good care. Bring insurance that covers evacuation.

The north sits on an active fault zone. The May 2003 earthquake near Algiers killed more than 2,200 people, and 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 smaller quakes happen regularly. Wildfires break out most summers in the wooded north, flash floods have swept away cars and houses, and Saharan summers bring extreme heat.

How to stay safe in Algeria

• Read the current US and 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 maps before going anywhere south of the Saharan Atlas.
• Book desert travel only with an established operator that handles permits and escorts.
• Carry your passport on longer trips; you need it for hotels and domestic flights.
• Visit the Casbah of Algiers with a guide and tell your hotel your plans.
• Do not drive at night outside towns.
• Call 17 for police and 1021 for an ambulance.

How we scored it

Violent crime (86) is the strongest factor, based on a 2023 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 in the 1–3 band. Conflict (52) is the weakest, reflecting the terrorist and kidnap threat and large do-not-travel zones in the south. Road safety (48) is scored on WHO's 2021 estimate of 18.3 deaths per 100,000; the national count is much lower but misses many deaths. Confidence is medium because few tourists visit and crime data on foreigners is thin.