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SafetyScorer

Ranking

Safest Cities in Africa 2026

Every African city we cover, from Cairo, Luxor, the Red Sea resorts and Morocco's four big cities to Zanzibar, Victoria Falls, Accra, Nairobi, Lagos and South Africa's Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. Each score is built for visitors and combines violent crime, theft and scams, walking at night, traffic, health and natural hazards. Open any city for the figures and the areas to avoid.

Updated · Scores update with each page

The ranking

  1. Hurghada

    Hurghada is a guarded resort town where street crime against visitors is low and pickpocketing is rare. The risks are at sea and on the road. Boats, dive trips and a tourist submarine have sunk with deaths, and the FCDO says most sexual assaults it hears about in Egypt happen in Red Sea resorts.

    Hurghada safety score: 67 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  2. Luxor

    Luxor is one of the easier places in Egypt for a visitor, with low crime, heavy security at the temples and quiet roads by Egyptian standards. The catches are relentless touts, harassment of women, summer heat that passes 40 °C on more than 100 days a year, and a hot-air balloon industry with a fatal record.

    Luxor safety score: 67 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  3. Sharm el-Sheikh

    Sharm el-Sheikh is a guarded resort at the tip of the Sinai, and the FCDO rates it generally low risk despite closed zones further north. Crime against visitors is low. Dive-boat safety varies, the FCDO says most reported sexual assaults happen in Red Sea resorts, and summer heat is fierce.

    Sharm el-Sheikh safety score: 67 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  4. Casablanca

    Casablanca is a big working city where serious crime against visitors is uncommon and the tourist hassle is lighter than in Marrakech or Fez. The real risks are motorbike bag snatching and knife robberies in quiet streets, roads where crossings mean little, dusty air and a standing terrorist threat.

    Casablanca safety score: 64 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  5. Tangier

    Tangier is generally safe for visitors, with low violent crime and a mild climate. The catches are the usual medina hustle and petty theft, motorbike snatchers who sometimes injure their victims, roads where deaths are rising fast, and winter storms that flood whole districts.

    Tangier safety score: 64 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  6. Fez

    Fez is generally safe for visitors who are ready for hassle. Violent crime is low, but the medina of Fes el-Bali is the classic ground for fake guides and shop detours, women get persistent attention, the roads are poor, summer heat often passes 40 °C, and old housing has collapsed with deadly results.

    Fez safety score: 63 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  7. Marrakech

    Marrakech is generally safe for visitors who expect hassle. Violent crime is uncommon, but the medina is full of fake guides, overcharging and motorbike bag-snatchers, women get persistent unwanted attention, and the roads, the summer heat and the 2023 earthquake zone are real risks.

    Marrakech safety score: 63 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  8. Cairo

    Cairo is safer from crime than many visitors expect, with low pickpocketing and heavy security at tourist sites. The real dangers are crossing the road, some of the most polluted air of any capital, weak emergency care, persistent touts and harassment of women.

    Cairo safety score: 60 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  9. Zanzibar

    Most visitors to Stone Town and the beach coast have an easy trip. The UK reports robberies in Stone Town, at hotels and on beaches, and sexual assaults at beach resorts, so walk in company after dark, choose sound boats and take malaria advice seriously.

    Zanzibar safety score: 60 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  10. Victoria Falls

    Victoria Falls is a small town where serious crime against visitors is uncommon. The risks come from the setting, with elephants on roads near town, rafting and the gorge, malaria, deadly long-distance roads and clinics that want cash before treatment.

    Victoria Falls safety score: 57 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  11. Accra

    Accra is calmer than most big West African cities and most visits pass without trouble. The UK says robbery, assault and street theft have become more common since 2021, Greater Accra had 420 road deaths in 2025 and the air is about seven times the WHO guideline. Take care after dark and on the roads.

    Accra safety score: 56 out of 100, grade C (Fair)

  12. Nairobi

    Nairobi is a city where your choices matter. Muggings, armed robbery and carjacking are frequent, the UK warns against walking alone in isolated areas even by day, and protests have turned deadly. Visitors who move by car, stay in the western suburbs and avoid crowds rarely have problems.

    Nairobi safety score: 51 out of 100, grade D (Weak)

  13. Lagos

    Lagos is Nigeria's business capital, but one of the riskiest cities we cover. The UK warns that mugging, armed robbery, carjacking and kidnapping are common, walking at night is especially risky and there is no national ambulance service. Visitors with a trusted driver and an island-side hotel manage.

    Lagos safety score: 41 out of 100, grade D (Weak)

  14. Cape Town

    Cape Town has one of the highest murder rates of any city in the world, but the violence is concentrated in Cape Flats townships that most visitors never see. In tourist areas, the risks are muggings on mountain trails, car crime and robbery after dark.

    Cape Town safety score: 40 out of 100, grade D (Weak)

  15. Johannesburg

    Johannesburg is manageable for visitors who stay in Sandton, Rosebank or Melrose and move by car, but robbery is a serious risk. Downtown precincts top South Africa's robbery tables, Gauteng has over half the country's carjackings, and criminals follow travellers from the airport.

    Johannesburg safety score: 40 out of 100, grade D (Weak)

  16. Durban

    Durban's murder rate is about 47 per 100,000, though most killings happen in townships such as Inanda, Umlazi and KwaMashu that visitors rarely see. The bigger daily risk for visitors is robbery in the city centre, along with deadly floods, sewage closures on some beaches and roads that kill many pedestrians.

    Durban safety score: 38 out of 100, grade F (Poor)

Which cities are on the list

We use the same rule as our African countries ranking: every city we cover in a country the UN places in Africa. That includes Egypt, so Cairo, Luxor, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh are here, and also on our Middle East cities ranking, because news and travel advice treat Egypt as part of the Middle East too. Zanzibar stands for Unguja island, from Stone Town to the beach coast.

How the order is built

Each city has six scored factors: violent crime 25%, theft and scams 20%, walking at night, traffic safety, and health and environment 15% each, and natural hazards 10%. The list sorts those scores from the highest down and changes whenever we update a city page. A city's score also can never be more than 35 points above its country's conflict and terrorism score. Lagos comes closest to that cap, because of the insurgencies and armed gangs on our Nigeria page, but it changes no result here. The details are on how we score cities.

What the top cities have in common

North Africa leads. Egypt's tourist towns are heavily guarded, pickpocketing is rare, and 82% of Egyptians say they feel safe walking alone at night. Morocco had about 1.7 Homicide 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 people in 2023. In Casablanca, Tangier, Fez and Marrakech, visitors meet hustle, fake guides and motorbike bag-snatchers far more often than violence.

The roads are the common weakness. Road deaths in Morocco rose by a quarter in 2025, to 4,577, and Cairo governorate recorded 779 in the same year. Cairo also has some of the most polluted air of any capital, which is why it sits below Egypt's resort towns.

Why some cities are lower

In the middle of the list, the risks are less about crime than about health and distance. Zanzibar and Victoria Falls have malaria, and clinics in Victoria Falls want cash before they treat you. Accra is calmer than most big West African cities, but its air is about seven times the WHO guideline.

Violent crime decides the bottom. Nairobi has frequent muggings, armed robbery and carjacking, and Lagos adds kidnapping. The three South African cities have the highest murder rates on this list: roughly 65 to 70 per 100,000 in Cape Town, about 47 in Durban, and about 32 across Gauteng, the province around Johannesburg. Most killings happen in townships visitors rarely see, but robbery reaches tourist areas, airport routes and mountain trails.

What the score does not tell you

A city score averages the risk across a whole city. In Johannesburg, a stay in Sandton or Rosebank with a car and driver is a different trip from a walk downtown, and the same is true of the Cape Town townships and the V&A Waterfront. For the wider picture, including safaris and border areas, read the country pages. Get travel health advice before Zanzibar, Victoria Falls, Accra or Lagos, and buy insurance that covers medical evacuation.

Questions

What is the safest city in Africa for tourists?

Egypt's guarded tourist towns, Hurghada, Luxor and Sharm el-Sheikh, are at the top, with Morocco's Casablanca, Tangier, Fez and Marrakech just behind. Violent crime against visitors is low in all of them. Their risks are the roads, touts and harassment, and in Egypt boat and dive safety.

Is Marrakech safe for tourists?

Generally yes, for visitors who expect hassle. Morocco had about 1.7 Homicide 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 people in 2023, but the medina is full of fake guides, overcharging and motorbike bag-snatchers, and women get persistent unwanted attention. The roads, summer heat and the 2023 earthquake zone about 70 km away are the other risks.

Is Cape Town safe to visit?

Most visitors have no trouble, but Cape Town has one of the highest murder rates of any city in the world, roughly 65 to 70 per 100,000. The violence is concentrated in Cape Flats townships that visitors rarely see. In tourist areas, the risks are muggings on mountain trails such as Lion's Head and Signal Hill, car crime and robbery after dark.

Is Zanzibar safe?

Most visitors to Stone Town and the beach coast have an easy trip. The UK reports robberies in Stone Town, at hotels and on beaches, and sexual assaults at beach resorts. Walk in company after dark, choose sound boats and take malaria advice seriously.

Is Nairobi safe for tourists?

Your choices matter in Nairobi. Muggings, armed robbery and carjacking are frequent, and the UK warns against walking alone in isolated areas even by day. Visitors who move by car, stay in the western suburbs and avoid crowds and protests rarely have problems.

Is Lagos safe to visit?

Lagos is one of the riskiest cities we cover. The UK warns that mugging, armed robbery, carjacking and kidnapping are common, and Nigeria has no national ambulance service. Visitors who use a trusted driver and stay on the island side, around Victoria Island, manage.