Yemen

Is Yemen safe to visit?

No. Yemen is at war again, and both the US and UK tell their citizens not to go at all. The State Department rates it Level 4 (do not travel for any reason) and has had no embassy in Sanaa since February 2015. 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 and tells anyone already there to leave immediately, adding that it cannot help British nationals get out.

We score Yemen 29, below Syria at 31. Conflict is the main reason, but not the only one. Crime is armed, roads are among the deadliest anywhere and the health system has largely collapsed, so even a calm Yemen would score low. 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 Yemen 156th of 163 countries, and confidence is low because crime and health data are old or missing.

The war in 2026

A truce from April 2022 held, imperfectly, for more than three years. It has now broken down. In early January 2026, Saudi-backed government forces retook Hadramawt province from the separatist Southern Transitional Council after Saudi airstrikes that killed more than 20 people, Xinhua reported. Since July the Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of the north, have fired missiles and drones at Saudi territory and shipping. On 8 September attacks on Saudi cities set oil facilities on fire and wounded 73 people, according to AP.

In September the Houthis pushed along the Red Sea coast toward the Bab al-Mandeb strait. In early October the government said it had begun an offensive toward Sanaa with the Saudi-led coalition's backing, and the Houthi-run health ministry said at least 83 civilians had been killed in the first days, a figure CNN could not verify. Front lines are moving week to week. Airstrikes, shelling and drone attacks can hit cities on both sides.

Kidnapping, terrorism and detention

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Islamic State-Yemen are both active. 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 the threat is highest in Abyan, Marib, Hadramawt and Shabwah, but that Islamic State-Yemen has attacked Aden, Sanaa, Ibb, Hodeidah and al-Bayda. Methods include car bombs, suicide attacks and assassinations.

The FCDO calls the kidnap threat "very high and constant" across the country. Tribes and criminal gangs kidnap too, and the FCDO says they may sell hostages on to AQAP, which has murdered hostages. Aid workers, journalists and business travellers are all seen as targets. The US warns that dual US-Yemeni citizens face a particular risk, including young people taken for forced marriage, often with family involvement.

Detention is a separate risk. The Houthis have designated the US and UK as hostile states and have detained foreigners, including aid workers. Taking photos near military sites is likely to end in arrest, and same-sex relations can carry the death penalty.

Health care and disease

This is Yemen's weakest factor after conflict. The State Department says health services are poor and that cholera, polio and measles are re-emerging, mainly in Houthi-held areas. CDC raised a Level 2 notice in June 2026 because malaria cases are rising, including in areas that used to be low risk, and in August 2026 it reported paratyphoid fever in travellers returning from Yemen. 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 adds dengue, schistosomiasis and MERS, and altitude sickness in the highlands around Sanaa.

Medicines are scarce, and the FCDO says ambulances may not respond, so you may have to get yourself to hospital. Insurance that covers medical evacuation is essential, though few insurers will cover travel against official advice.

Roads, landmines and fuel

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 29.4 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, higher than Saudi Arabia and rising through the decade. 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 poor driving and dangerous mountain roads and says to avoid any road travel outside the main cities after dark. Landmines and unexploded ordnance lie along roads and old front lines, often unmarked. Roads into cities can be closed without warning, and fuel is in severe short supply.

If you go despite the advice

• Travel only with a professional security team and a tested way out that does not rely on your government.
• Get your visa from the Republic of Yemen government. Socotra trips sold on unofficial visas are not legal entry.
• Vary routes and times, keep a low profile and never post your plans online.
• Carry US dollars in cash; there are few ATMs outside Sanaa, and exporting Yemeni rial is illegal.
• Bring all the medicines you need and take malaria prevention advice from a travel clinic.

How we scored it

Conflict (5) and health (15) are the weakest factors, followed by roads (30), based on a 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 29.4 deaths per 100,000. Violent crime (45) and petty crime (40) are low because armed robbery, carjacking and kidnapping are widespread, and natural hazards (45) are weighed down by weak disaster response. The weighted average of 29 is below the conflict cap of 40 and is the final score.