Ranking
Safest Countries in the Middle East 2026
Every Middle Eastern country we cover, from Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates to Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Iran and Yemen. Each score is built for visitors and combines homicide rates, conflict and terrorism, road deaths, health risks, natural hazards and the scams tourists meet. In this region conflict decides more of the order than anywhere else.
Updated · Scores update with each page
The ranking
Qatar
Qatar has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and ranks 31st on the 2026 Global Peace Index, the best in the Middle East. Iranian strikes on its gas plants and the US air base since February 2026 put it under a US Level 3 advisory. Strict laws, fast roads and summer heat are the everyday risks.
Score 79, grade BUnited Arab Emirates
On crime and roads alone, the United Arab Emirates would rank with the safest countries we cover. The 2026 Iran war changed that; strikes have killed at least 13 people in the UAE and the US says reconsider travel. Strict laws on drugs, alcohol and behaviour are the other risk visitors underestimate.
Score 78, grade BOman
Oman is one of the calmest places in the Gulf for crime, with 0.14 homicides per 100,000 people. The 2026 Iran war has reached it, with drone strikes on Duqm and Salalah ports and a US Level 3 advisory. For most visitors, the bigger dangers are the roads, flash floods in wadis and summer heat.
Score 77, grade BBahrain
Bahrain has very little crime, and its roads are much safer than Saudi Arabia's. As home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, it was hit by Iranian missiles and drones from the first day of the 2026 war, and civilians were killed and injured. The US says reconsider travel.
Score 74, grade BKuwait
Kuwait has very little crime, and a tough 2025 traffic law cut road deaths by a third. The 2026 Iran war hit it hard. Missiles and drones killed people in the first days and damaged the airport's main terminal in June, and the US says reconsider travel. Summer heat above 50°C is the other serious hazard.
Score 74, grade BJordan
Jordan's tourist trail, from Amman to Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba, has low crime. Iranian missiles aimed at or crossing Jordan since March 2026, terrorism risk and border no-go zones bring a US Level 3 advisory. Roads and flash floods are the everyday dangers.
Score 71, grade BTurkey
Turkey is visited safely by millions every year and its roads are safer than its reputation. The risks are terrorism in big cities, a high earthquake threat, scams and theft in Istanbul, risky resort activities, and a no-go zone along the Syrian border.
Score 68, grade CEgypt
Egypt's main tourist routes, from Cairo and Giza to Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea resorts, are heavily guarded and pickpocketing is rare. The risks are road and bus crashes, harassment of women, aggressive touts, uneven dive and boat safety, stomach bugs, and large no-go zones in North Sinai and the Western Desert.
Score 67, grade CSaudi Arabia
Crime against visitors is rare, but Iranian and Houthi strikes have hurt dozens of civilians in 2026, and airport attacks killed at least 21 in October. Since 16 October the UK advises against non-essential travel to the whole country. Roads are safer but still deadly, and the law is strict.
Score 65, grade CIsrael
Israel's cities, hospitals and roads work well, and crime rarely touches visitors. The risk is conflict, with Iranian missile strikes in 2026, fighting with Hezbollah and repeated terrorist attacks. The US says reconsider travel and bans travel near Gaza, Lebanon and Egypt. The West Bank and Gaza have separate advice.
Score 60, grade CLebanon
Lebanon is back in a war in 2026. Since 2 March, Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,000 people, according to the Health Ministry, and attacks continued after the April ceasefire. The US says do not travel; the UK advises against all travel to the south, parts of the Bekaa and Beirut's southern suburbs.
Score 45, grade DIran
Iran is at war with the US and Israel since 28 February 2026, and attacks resumed in July despite a June memorandum, with new US-Iran strikes in late August. The US and UK both advise against all travel and warn that foreigners and dual nationals risk arbitrary detention. Earthquakes and roads add everyday risk.
Score 43, grade DIraq
The US says do not travel to any part of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region. The UK advises against all travel to the north and west and against all but essential travel elsewhere. Drone and missile attacks linked to the Iran war hit Kurdistan hard in 2026, and roads, heat and guns add to the risk.
Score 42, grade DPalestine
Gaza is closed to visitors, with daily strikes reported since the October 2025 ceasefire and a health system in ruins. The West Bank is a different trip. Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jericho take tourists, but violence has risen, the north is a no-go area for the UK, and every journey passes Israeli checkpoints.
Score 40, grade DSyria
Syria has opened up since Bashar al-Assad fell in December 2024, but the US and UK still advise against all travel. Bombs killed at least 10 people in Damascus in July 2026, sectarian violence killed thousands on the coast and in Suwayda in 2025, and hospitals lack basic medicines.
Score 31, grade FYemen
Yemen is one of the most dangerous places to travel in 2026. Fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces escalated sharply in September, kidnap risk is very high, health care has largely collapsed and roads kill about 30 people per 100,000 a year.
Score 29, grade F
Which countries are on the list
The rule starts from the UN's statistical map (the M49 standard) of Western Asia. We take out Cyprus and the three South Caucasus countries, which are on our Europe list, and add Iran, which the UN counts as South Asia, and Egypt, which sits in Africa but is part of the Middle East in news and travel advice. Egypt is the one country that also appears on another regional list, our Africa list. That gives the Gulf states, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Turkey and Egypt.
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.
Why the Gulf states lead
Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have almost no violent crime: Oman recorded 0.14 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 and Qatar 0.07 in 2022. Theft is rare and hospitals are good. On those factors alone they would rank with Western Europe. The 2026 Iran war is what pulls them down. Strikes have hit Gulf ports, airports and the US Navy base in Bahrain since 28 February, and all five lose heavily on conflict.
How the conflict ceiling shapes the order
A country's overall score can never be more than its conflict score plus 35. In most regions that rule binds on a few war zones. Here it binds on several countries at once. Israel has good roads and hospitals and Saudi Arabia very little crime, but the cap holds both below Turkey and Egypt. It also holds down Lebanon, Iran and Palestine. Iraq, Syria and Yemen need no cap: weak health care, dangerous roads and high crime already put them near the bottom.
Turkey, Egypt and Jordan
These are the three big tourist destinations below the Gulf. Turkey has more violent crime than the Gulf, about 3.2 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, and a real earthquake risk, but no war on its territory. Egypt loses on health, on the no-go zones in Sinai and the Western Desert, and on harassment and touts. Jordan loses on the Iran war, the October 2026 church attack in Karak and its roads.
What the score does not tell you
The score is an average for a whole country. Istanbul's old city and the Turkish Riviera are not the Syrian border, and the Red Sea resorts are not North Sinai. In this region the advice also changes week to week: the US updated its advisories for most Gulf states on 23 October 2026. Read your own government's advice the day you book and again before you fly.
Questions
What is the safest country in the Middle East?
Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman are at the top and very close, with Kuwait and Bahrain next. All five have some of the lowest 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 we track. Since the Iran war began on 28 February 2026, Iranian missiles and drones have reached all of them, and the US rates each one Level 3, reconsider travel.
Is the UAE safe to visit right now?
Crime is not the issue; the UAE had 0.69 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 2022 and violent crime against visitors is rare. The war is. The UAE's defence ministry counted 13 deaths from Iranian strikes by May 2026, and strikes resumed in July. The US says reconsider travel and Canada advises a high degree of caution, while the UK advises against no part of the country. Check the latest advice before you book.
Is Turkey safe to visit?
Yes, for most trips. Millions visit every year, the US rates Turkey Level 2 and violence against tourists is uncommon. The risks are terrorism in big cities, a high earthquake threat, scams and theft in Istanbul and risky resort activities. The UK advises against all travel within 10 km of the Syrian border.
Is Egypt safe to visit?
The main routes, from Cairo and Giza to Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea resorts, are heavily guarded and the US rates Egypt Level 2. Road and bus crashes are the bigger danger, and harassment of women and aggressive touts are common complaints. The UK and Canada say avoid all travel to North Sinai, and the US also warns against the Western Desert without a guide.
Is Jordan safe to visit now?
The tourist trail from Amman to Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba has low crime. But Iranian missiles and drones have targeted or crossed Jordan since March 2026, and gunmen killed at least nine people at a church in Karak governorate on 23 October. The US rates Jordan Level 3 and advises against the border areas with Syria and Iraq.
Which Middle East countries should you avoid?
The US says do not travel to Yemen, Syria, Iraq (including the Kurdistan Region), Iran and Lebanon, and Gaza is closed to visitors. Israel is Level 3 with do-not-travel zones near Gaza, Lebanon and Egypt. Since 16 October 2026 the UK also advises against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia.
Why are Israel and Saudi Arabia below Turkey and Egypt?
Because of conflict, and the ceiling our method puts on it. A country's score can never be more than its conflict score plus 35. Israel's roads, hospitals and low crime against visitors would put it above Turkey and Egypt, but Iranian missiles, fighting with Hezbollah and terrorism cap it lower. Saudi Arabia has very little crime but loses heavily on Iranian and Houthi strikes, including attacks on its airports in October 2026, and the cap holds it down too.