Libya

Is Libya safe to visit?

Not by the standard of most travel. The US State Department keeps Libya at Level 4 (do not travel for any reason), citing crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping and landmines, and it has no embassy in the country. The UK has softened its line: since 21 July 2026 it advises against all but essential travel to Tripoli, Benghazi and the Jebel Akhdar area, and Misrata, and against all travel everywhere else.

We score Libya 37, a little below Iraq (42) and well above Yemen at 29. Libya is not at full-scale war, and 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 it 125th of 163, far better than the region's war zones. But armed crime, kidnapping, roads and a weak health system pull the score down. Confidence is low: Libya reports no homicide figures, and its road data is a WHO model estimate.

Two governments and many militias

Libya has two rival governments. The Government of National Unity in Tripoli runs the west, and a rival government based in Benghazi, backed by Khalifa Haftar's forces, runs the east and most of the south. A UN-facilitated ceasefire between them has held since October 2020, 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 renewed east-west war is now less likely.

The danger is local. In Tripoli, different militias control different districts, and fighting can break out with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Clashes in 2022 killed 32 people, fighting in August 2023 shut Mitiga airport, and in May 2025 battles spread across the city before a ceasefire on 14 May. Political killings continue: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was shot dead by four gunmen at his home in Zintan in February 2026, and on 10 August a bomb under his car killed Maj. Gen. Fawzi al-Mansouri, intelligence chief of the eastern forces, outside his home in Benghazi.

The FCDO says Benghazi was calm through 2024 and 2025 under a single military command, and calls Misrata's police the most professional in the west. Those three areas are the only places where it no longer advises against all travel.

Kidnapping, detention and terrorism

The State Department calls kidnapping widespread and says Americans have been among the victims. Armed groups detain people for arbitrary reasons, without lawyers or contact with family. 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 British nationals have been detained by intelligence services and armed groups in Tripoli and Benghazi, with journalists, NGO staff and private security workers at higher risk. Foreign oil and gas workers are seen as high-value targets.

Islamic State and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb use the Fezzan desert in the south-west as a base, and the FCDO says a terrorist kidnap would most likely happen there. There has been no terrorist kidnapping in Libya for many years, but criminal gangs could sell hostages on.

Roads and getting around

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 34.0 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, about double Tunisia and more than three times Egypt. Only Guinea has a higher estimate. 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 crashes often kill and emergency response is limited. Crime is a road risk too: carjacking and robbery are common, and the coastal road between Zawiyah and Tripoli carries a very high risk. Landmines and unexploded ordnance lie off-road in many areas. Petrol queues are long, and land borders can close at short notice.

Flights are cancelled often. Mitiga is Tripoli's only working civilian airport, as the international airport has been closed since 2014, and the US bars American airlines from Libyan airspace.

Health care and heat

Libya has no malaria risk, which sets it apart from Yemen and much of Africa, but care is thin. 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 acute shortages of skilled staff and supplies, especially for chronic conditions such as diabetes. Private clinics in Tripoli handle routine problems, and serious cases are usually flown to Malta or Europe. Air ambulances may not get permission to operate. Summer heat is extreme inland, and floods after Storm Daniel in 2023 and again in December 2024 showed how weak flood defences and response are.

If you go despite the advice

• Stay within Tripoli, Benghazi or Misrata, and arrange local security and a fixed driver before you land.
• Carry your passport at all times; foreigners have been arrested without it.
• Do not photograph military sites or checkpoints, and avoid protests.
• Keep plans off social media and vary routes and times.
• Bring cash and expect power cuts, especially in summer.

How we scored it

Conflict (25) and roads (25) are the weakest factors: there is no front-line war, but militia clashes and political killings continue, and WHO's road death estimate is among the world's highest. Health (40) and petty crime (40) are weak too. Violent crime (50) is an estimate based on kidnapping and armed robbery reports; WHO's modelled 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 of 2.1 per 100,000 has little national data to anchor it and leaves out killings by armed groups, so we do not score on it. The weighted average of 37 is below the conflict cap of 60 and is the final score.