Ethiopia

Is Ethiopia safe to visit?

Only in parts, and less so than a year ago. Addis Ababa is stable, and a business trip or a short stay in the capital usually goes without trouble. Beyond it, Ethiopia is a country at war with itself. Fighting between the federal army and Tigrayan forces resumed on 23 September 2026, Fano militias have fought the army in Amhara since 2023, and armed groups are active across Oromia. Most of the famous historic north is off-limits. We score Ethiopia 44, below Kenya and close to Nigeria.

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 ranks Ethiopia 138th of 163 and treats it as part of a single Horn of Africa conflict system linked to Sudan's war and the rivalry with Eritrea. The US keeps Ethiopia at Level 3, but its "do not travel" list covers most of the map.

Where the fighting is

The northern war that ended with the Pretoria agreement in 2022 has restarted. According to Euronews, Tigrayan forces seized airports, pushed into Afar towards the Djibouti trade corridor and attacked into Amhara, and at least 150,000 people were feared displaced in Afar alone. The army chief accused Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of backing the rebels. Tigrayan forces, Fano and the Oromo Liberation Army are now described as allies. 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 drone strikes in Afar and Tigray have increased since August, and it has reported possible drone attacks on military installations in several places, including Addis Ababa.

Areas the FCDO advises against all travel to include:

• Tigray, Amhara and Gambela regions in full
• Afar within 20 km of Eritrea and 50 km of Tigray, and all but essential travel to the rest of Afar
• Western Oromia, including the Wollega zones, and parts of North and West Shewa
• Metekel and the Sudan border in Benishangul-Gumuz
• Strips along the borders with Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Eritrea and Somalia, including Lake Turkana's shore

The US list is wider still: all of Oromia except Bishoftu and Bale Mountains National Park, and parts of the Central, South, Southwest and Somali regions. That rules out Lalibela, Gondar, the Simien Mountains, Axum and the Danakil Depression. In practice, tourists are left with Addis Ababa and a few places in the south and east. Book through an established operator who tracks closures daily.

Kidnapping, detention and exit bans

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 kidnapping widespread in parts of Oromia, Amhara and the Somali region, especially the Adama area south of Addis and the Wollega zones in the west, with criminals demanding large ransoms. The US says groups have targeted foreigners in Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz and along the borders.

Two other risks surprise visitors. The authorities may cut internet and phone networks with no notice during unrest. And the FCDO reports some arbitrary detentions of British nationals, with embassies not always told. Dual US-Ethiopian nationals face particular trouble: the US says some have been fined more than $100,000 for immigration breaches and barred from leaving until they paid. Carry a copy of your passport and visa, and enter on the right documents.

Crime in Addis Ababa

Ethiopia'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 moderate for the region, at about 6.7 per 100,000 (WHO modelled estimate, 2021; the last national figure, 8.5, is from 2012). Street crime in the capital is the everyday risk. 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 muggings are rising, and names Bole Medhanealem, Bole Atlas, Meskel Square, Yeka Hills and Entoto as places where foreigners have been robbed at knifepoint or choked unconscious. Groups of children and young people jostle and distract to steal phones, and thieves snatch bags through car windows at traffic lights. At the airport, use transport booked by your hotel, or yellow or app taxis rather than blue-and-white ones.

Roads and health care

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 17.7 road deaths per 100,000 in 2021, lower than Kenya (28.2) but still high. For long distances, domestic flights on Ethiopian Airlines are the usual choice, though northern routes are cancelled during fighting. On the road, vehicles often have no lights, livestock wander onto roads, and drivers involved in crashes can face prison. 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 do not drive anywhere outside Addis after dark and consider travelling in convoy.

Health care is the other gap. Only private hospitals in Addis offer reasonable basic care, and the FCDO calls facilities elsewhere extremely poor, so carry a full medical kit and insurance with evacuation cover. Malaria is common below 2,000 metres, which includes many tourist sites. Cholera is spreading in the south and north-west, bilharzia is in most lakes, and CDC says rabies vaccine is often not readily available after a bite. Addis sits at 2,400 metres; take the first day slowly.

How to stay safe in Ethiopia

• Check 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 and US maps the week you travel; both changed several times in September 2026.
• Stay away from military sites and large gatherings, including festivals such as Meskel and Timket.
• Keep a paper copy of your passport and your embassy's number.
• Do not photograph soldiers, police or government buildings.
• Call 911 for police and 907 for an ambulance in Addis Ababa.

How we scored it

Conflict (15) is by far the weakest factor: active war in the north, insurgencies in the two most populous regions and do-not-travel advice for most of the country. Health (35) is also weak, and road safety (49) sits in the middle of the band for WHO's 2021 estimate of 17.7 deaths per 100,000. Violent crime (60) and natural hazards (60) are the strongest. The overall cap of conflict + 35 (50) does not apply, because the weighted average is already lower.