Morocco

Is Morocco safe to visit?

Yes, for most visitors. Morocco'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 was 1.7 per 100,000 people in 2023, a fraction of the rate in South Africa, and serious crime against tourists is uncommon. What wears visitors down is hustle: fake guides, pushy sellers and petty theft in the medinas. What actually kills people is the roads. We score Morocco 67, just above Egypt and a little below Turkey.

The US State Department rates Morocco Level 2, "exercise increased caution", and names only one reason: terrorism. The UK has no areas it advises against, though the land border with Algeria is closed and crossing it is illegal.

The roads are the main danger

Morocco's motorways between Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech are well built, but the national road toll is high and climbing. WHO estimatedWHO 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 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019. The national road safety agency, NARSA, counts fewer, 4,024 deaths in 2024, which is about 11 per 100,000 people. Its 2025 figures are worse: 3,324 deaths in the first nine months, up 24.4% on the same period in 2024. Motorbike riders and pedestrians are the largest groups of victims.

For visitors the risky moments are predictable. 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 warns of poor lighting at night, animals on rural roads, overloaded lorries overtaking without a hard shoulder, and grand taxis that speed. Mountain roads over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Ouarzazate and the desert are slow, narrow and dangerous after dark or in winter rain. If you are in a fatal crash and the police think you caused it, you can be held until a hearing.

Medina hustle, theft and scams

Petty crime is the everyday issue. 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 lists pickpocketing, bag-snatching and drive-by motorbike theft of jewellery and handbags in the old city quarters and on beaches. It also warns of card fraud, goods swapped for cheaper ones after you pay, and people posing as official guides.

The classic trap is a friendly stranger who tells you a street is closed and walks you to a tannery or a cousin's carpet shop, then wants paying. In Marrakech and Fes, book a guide through your riad or the tourist office and check the official badge.

Violent crime is rarer but not absent. The FCDO says criminals have used knives against tourists in street robberies in big cities and along beaches, so avoid quiet lanes and empty beaches after dark and carry little cash.

Women travelling alone often get unwanted attention, from comments to being followed. It is usually more tiring than dangerous, but it is constant in the busiest souks.

Terrorism and protests

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 terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks, and links the threat to Moroccans who sympathise with Islamic State. Moroccan police regularly break up cells. The last attack on tourists was in December 2018, when two Scandinavian hikers were murdered near Imlil in the High Atlas by men who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

Protests flare up from time to time. Youth-led demonstrations over health and education spread across Moroccan cities in autumn 2025, and some turned violent. The FCDO says authorised protests are usually peaceful but unauthorised ones have led to clashes with police. Morocco ranks 65th 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, ahead of Egypt (113th).

Earthquakes, floods and heat

Morocco has real natural hazards. The Al Haouz earthquake of September 2023 killed almost 3,000 people, mostly in High Atlas villages south of Marrakech. Flash floods are the other recurring threat; in December 2025 torrential rain in Safi on the Atlantic coast killed 37 people. Inland summers are very hot, often above 40°C in Marrakech and the desert, 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 warns of summer wildfires.

Health

There is no malaria in Morocco. CDC recommends hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines and says rabid dogs are common, so get any bite or scratch treated at once. Public hospitals are basic; private clinics in Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech are better, but you need insurance. 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 deaths from methanol in alcoholic drinks, so drink only in licensed venues and avoid unlabelled spirits.

How to stay safe in Morocco

• Agree a price before you get in a petit taxi, or insist on the meter. 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 warns that ride-hailing cars may be unlicensed and uninsured.
• Do not drive at night outside cities, and take the train between Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech where you can.
• Hire a licensed mountain guide for Toubkal and other Atlas treks.
• Quad bike crashes involving British visitors are frequent around Marrakech and Agadir. Wear a helmet and check that your insurance covers it.
• Take any amount of cannabis seriously; the FCDO says drug offences bring long prison sentences.
• Call 190 for police, 177 for the gendarmerie outside cities and 150 for an ambulance.

How we scored it

Violent crime (82) is the strongest factor, based on a recent UNODC rate in the 1–3 band. Road safety (50) is the weakest; we score on the WHO estimateWHO 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 of 17 per 100,000 and note that NARSA's lower count is rising fast. Petty crime (55) reflects how common theft and scams are in the medinas, and conflict (72) the standing terrorist threat.