Ranking
Safest Countries in Asia 2026
Every country we cover in East, Southeast, South and Central Asia, from Japan and Singapore to Kazakhstan, India and Afghanistan. The Middle East has its own list, and the Caucasus is on our Europe list. Each score is built for visitors and combines homicide rates, conflict and terrorism, road deaths, health risks, natural hazards and the scams tourists meet.
Updated · Scores update with each page
The ranking
Singapore
Singapore shares the top score of the countries we cover. Street crime is rare and roads are among the safest in Asia. The risks a visitor actually faces are dengue, seasonal haze from Indonesia, phone scams and laws far stricter than at home.
Score 93, grade AJapan
Japan is one of the safest countries in the world for travellers, with a homicide rate near 0.2 per 100,000. The risks that matter are natural ones (earthquakes, typhoons, heat) and drink-spiking bar scams in a few Tokyo nightlife districts.
Score 92, grade ABrunei
Brunei is one of the safest places to visit in South-East Asia, with very little crime and no history of terrorism. The real risks are its strict laws, including a Sharia penal code that covers some acts by non-Muslims, careless driving, dengue and crocodiles near rivers.
Score 89, grade ASouth Korea
South Korea has very little violent or street crime, with a homicide rate of about 0.5 per 100,000. The risks are unusual ones for a rich country. North Korea still tests missiles and the war has never formally ended, spring brings fine dust and yellow dust, and pedestrians face assertive traffic.
Score 86, grade AMaldives
For a resort holiday, the Maldives is one of the safest places in Asia. Crime on resort islands is rare and roads hardly matter. The sea is the main danger, with at least 112 tourists dying in marine accidents in six years. Gang knife crime in Malé and a low-level terrorism threat are the other caveats.
Score 83, grade BTaiwan
Taiwan has very little crime, excellent hospitals and a US Level 1 advisory. The real risks are traffic, with just under 3,000 road deaths a year and most of them on scooters, plus typhoons from July to September and frequent earthquakes. Tension with China is real but has not changed travel advice.
Score 81, grade BMalaysia
Malaysia is one of the more peaceful countries in Asia, with 0.73 homicides per 100,000 people and a US Level 1 rating. Roads are the main danger, with 6,537 deaths in 2025, two thirds of them motorcyclists. Watch for bag snatchers and card fraud in cities, and avoid the islands off eastern Sabah.
Score 78, grade BUzbekistan
Uzbekistan is one of the calmer places to travel in Central Asia, with little violent crime and a US Level 1 advisory. The main risks are road crashes, poor hospitals outside a few private clinics, bag-snatching in bazaars, summer heat and the fenced border with Afghanistan.
Score 76, grade BBhutan
Yes. Bhutan is one of the safest countries in Asia for visitors, with little crime, a US Level 1 advisory and a mandatory guide on every trip. The real risks are the roads, monsoon landslides and floods, altitude on treks and basic health care outside Thimphu.
Score 74, grade BKazakhstan
Kazakhstan is a calm, US Level 1 destination where violent crime against visitors is uncommon. The real risks are the roads, which killed about 2,300 people in 2025, pickpocketing in markets and on transport, and the long, very cold winters and remote distances.
Score 74, grade BTurkmenistan
Mostly yes for visitors on an organised trip. The US rates Turkmenistan Level 1 and crime against foreigners is rare, but it is one of the most closed countries in the world, publishes almost no crime data, controls the internet tightly and has poor hospitals, risky night roads and a history of deadly earthquakes.
Score 73, grade BVietnam
Vietnam is a low-crime country with no recent terrorism, and the US rates it Level 1. Its roads are the real danger, at about 13 deaths per 100,000 people on WHO's 2023 estimate. Add bag snatching from motorbikes, typhoons and floods from May to November, methanol in cheap spirits and strict drug laws.
Score 73, grade BChina
Mainland China has one of the lowest homicide rates we track, and most visitors never meet crime beyond a tea-house scam. The risks are the roads, unpredictable law enforcement and exit bans, which give it a US Level 2 advisory, plus typhoons, floods and earthquakes, and restricted travel to Tibet and Xinjiang.
Score 72, grade BKyrgyzstan
A good choice for trekkers and road-trippers: the US rates Kyrgyzstan Level 1 and violent crime against visitors is uncommon. The real risks are the roads, which killed about 900 people in 2025, remote mountains with little rescue, poorly equipped hospitals, street theft in Bishkek and a high earthquake risk.
Score 69, grade CMongolia
Mongolia is peaceful and has a US Level 1 advisory, but it is a harder trip than its neighbours. The road death rate is high, winter smog in Ulaanbaatar is among the worst anywhere, temperatures swing from +35°C to -40°C, and help can be a day's drive away in the countryside.
Score 68, grade CSri Lanka
Sri Lanka is calmer than at any time since the 2022 economic crisis, and violent crime against visitors is rare. The bigger risks are fast buses and crowded roads, dengue and rabies, monsoon floods (Cyclone Ditwah killed more than 600 people in late 2025) and bag-snatching from motorbikes.
Score 68, grade CTajikistan
Crime against visitors is low, and most trips to Dushanbe, the Fann Mountains and the Pamir Highway go smoothly. The US rates Tajikistan Level 2 and says reconsider travel to the Afghan border and Gorno-Badakhshan. Mountain roads, landmines, earthquakes and basic medical care are the other risks.
Score 68, grade CIndonesia
Indonesia has little violent crime and most visitors to Bali, Java and Lombok have no trouble. The risks are nature and transport. Quakes, eruptions and floods are frequent (Sumatra's 2025 floods killed over 1,200), the terror threat is real, and Bali's scooter crashes hurt many tourists.
Score 67, grade CThailand
Thailand is safe for most visitors from crime, and the US rates it Level 1. Its roads are the problem, with about 22 deaths per 100,000 people (WHO, 2023), mostly on motorbikes. Add scams in Bangkok and Phuket, dengue, floods, and no-go zones on the Cambodian and Malaysian borders.
Score 65, grade CCambodia
Most trips to Angkor, Phnom Penh and the coast go smoothly, and the US rates Cambodia Level 2. The serious risks are scam compounds that trap foreigners lured by fake jobs, violent bag snatching, unsafe roads, landmines and the closed Thai border, where fighting in 2025 killed more than 100 people.
Score 64, grade CLaos
Laos is calm, and Luang Prabang, Vientiane and the 4,000 Islands see little serious crime against visitors. The dangers lie elsewhere. Methanol in spirits killed six tourists in 2024, wartime bombs still kill people, roads are deadly at night and care outside Vientiane is basic.
Score 64, grade CTimor-Leste
Mostly yes, with care. Timor-Leste is peaceful by regional standards and the WHO certified it malaria-free in 2025, but robbery, gang fights and harassment of women are common in Dili, mountain roads are poor, rabies has spread since 2024 and serious illness means evacuation to Australia or Singapore.
Score 64, grade CIndia
India is visited safely by millions each year, and its homicide rate is lower than America's. The risks are elsewhere. Roads are among the world's deadliest, Delhi's winter air is hazardous, stomach illness is common, women face frequent harassment, and Kashmir and the Pakistan border are off limits.
Score 59, grade CNepal
Nepal is a low-crime country where the danger comes from the land itself. The Bhote Koshi flood of August 2026 killed more than 1,300 people, roads and mountain flights carry real risk, altitude sickness hits trekkers, and the September 2025 protests showed how fast politics can turn violent.
Score 57, grade CPhilippines
Palawan, Boracay, Bohol and Siargao are visited safely by millions. The national picture is rougher, with about 4.4 homicides per 100,000 people, armed street robbery in Manila, around 20 typhoons a year, active volcanoes, and terrorism and kidnapping in western Mindanao and the Sulu islands.
Score 57, grade CBangladesh
Bangladesh is calmer since the February 2026 election, and the US rates it Level 2, but protests can still turn violent, terrorism is a real threat and violent crime has risen since 2024. Roads, buses and ferries are dangerous, healthcare is poor, and floods, cyclones and dengue peak from June to October.
Score 50, grade DPakistan
Lahore, Islamabad and the northern valleys draw more visitors each year, but Pakistan topped the 2026 Global Terrorism Index, has fought Afghanistan since February 2026, and the US says do not travel to two provinces. Roads, floods and disease add to the risk. Where you go matters more here than almost anywhere.
Score 46, grade DNorth Korea
Americans cannot legally travel to North Korea on a US passport, and the UK advises against all but essential travel. Visitors who do go must join a guided tour, and the real risk is arrest for minor acts with no consular help. Hospitals are poor, roads are deadly, and independent data on crime barely exists.
Score 43, grade DMyanmar
No. Myanmar has been at civil war since the military coup of February 2021. The US says do not travel for any reason, the UK advises against all travel to most of the country, and landmines, arbitrary arrest, scam compounds and the damage from the 2025 earthquake add to the risk.
Score 40, grade DAfghanistan
The US and UK both say do not travel, even on an organised tour. Foreigners risk detention by the Taliban and kidnapping by criminals and militants, fighting with Pakistan has killed hundreds of Afghan civilians since October 2025, and health care and disaster response are very limited.
Score 35, grade F
Which countries are on the list
The rule is the UN's statistical map of Asia (the M49 standard) without Western Asia: every country we cover in East, Southeast, South and Central Asia. Taiwan, which that list does not name separately, is included. Iran, which the UN counts as South Asia, is on our Middle East list instead. Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are on our Europe list. Hong Kong and Macau are covered as cities, not countries.
How the order is built
Every country has its own page with six scored factors. Violent crime carries 25%, conflict and terrorism and road safety 20% each, health 15%, and natural hazards and petty crime 10% each. The list sorts those scores from the top and changes whenever we update a page. The rubrics are on how we score countries.
A country's score can never be more than its conflict score plus 35. In Asia that cap rarely changes anything, because the countries in conflict, such as Myanmar and Afghanistan, also score low on health and most other factors.
What the safest countries have in common
Singapore, Japan, Brunei and South Korea all have 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 well under 1 per 100,000 people, little theft and, by Asian standards, safe roads. They differ on smaller things: Japan on earthquakes and typhoons, South Korea on the standoff with the North, Brunei on dengue and hospitals that send serious cases to Singapore.
Why the roads decide the middle of the list
Much of Asia has very little violent crime against visitors, so road deaths do most of the sorting. Taiwan has excellent hospitals and very little crime, but scooters account for most of its roughly 3,000 road deaths a year. WHO 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 17.5 road deaths per 100,000 people in China for 2023, 19.1 in Bhutan, 21.9 in Thailand and 36.2 in Nepal, against 2.7 in Japan. Bhutan has little crime and no conflict, yet its mountain roads keep it out of the top group. Nepal also loses heavily to earthquakes, floods and landslides, and the Philippines to typhoons and volcanoes.
What the score does not tell you
The score is an average for visitors across a whole country. A beach in Palawan is a different trip from western Mindanao. Each country page names the regions to avoid and the scams to expect. If you plan to ride a scooter anywhere in Southeast Asia, carry a valid motorcycle licence. The UK government warns that riding without one can void your travel insurance.
Questions
What is the safest country in Asia?
Singapore and Japan are at the top and very close, with Brunei and South Korea next. All four have almost no violent crime against visitors. The order among them can change with one update, so treat them as a group and choose on the risks that matter for your trip, such as earthquakes in Japan or dengue in Singapore.
Is Japan safer than Singapore?
On crime they are close to equal and both are exceptional, with 0.23 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 Japan and 0.07 in Singapore in 2023 (UNODC). Road deaths are low in both. The difference is nature. Japan has some of the highest earthquake, tsunami and typhoon exposure of any rich country, while Singapore's main hazards are heat, flash floods, dengue and seasonal haze.
What is the safest country in Southeast Asia?
Singapore, followed by Brunei and Malaysia. All three have very little violent crime. Malaysia sits lower mainly because of its roads, where about two thirds of the 6,537 people killed in 2025 were on motorcycles. Thailand has low crime against tourists too, but much deadlier roads, with about twice Malaysia's death rate on WHO's 2023 estimate.
Is Thailand safe for tourists?
For most visitors, yes. The US rates Thailand Level 1, and the UK says violent crime rarely involves tourists. The real danger is the road, with about 22 deaths per 100,000 people on WHO's 2023 estimate, mostly on motorbikes. Scams in Bangkok and Phuket are common, and the border areas with Cambodia and Malaysia are no-go zones.
Is South Korea safe with North Korea next door?
Yes. South Korea has about 0.5 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, and the US and Canada advise normal precautions. North Korea still tests missiles, most recently two short-range missiles on 20 September 2026, which is why South Korea loses points on conflict. Spring fine dust and assertive traffic are the risks visitors notice day to day.
Which Asian countries should travellers avoid?
The US says do not travel to Afghanistan, Myanmar and North Korea, where Americans cannot legally go on a US passport. In Pakistan, the US advises against Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Elsewhere the no-go zones are regional, such as western Mindanao and Sulu in the Philippines and Jammu and Kashmir in India.
Why is Iran not on this list?
The UN places Iran in Southern Asia, but for travellers it belongs with its neighbours to the west, so we rank it on our Middle East list. Turkey, Israel and the Gulf states are there too.