Last update: July 12, 2026
Updated dailyWestern Sahara
5 5.2 out of 10
Safety Score
Only for experienced travelers
Limited data — score leans on a cautious regional baseline.
Last updated: July 12, 2026 10% data coverage
Western Sahara has a safety score of 5.2/10 as of July 12, 2026, rated as Moderate risk and ranking 218th out of 248 countries worldwide. The biggest concern is conflict (5.9/10), while the strongest area is conflict (5.9/10). This score is calculated daily from 40+ independent public sources.
What are the safety risk areas?
Crime 4.0/10 When a pillar has low data coverage, its contribution to the overall score is reduced or excluded.
Health 4.0/10 When a pillar has low data coverage, its contribution to the overall score is reduced or excluded.
Governance 4.0/10 When a pillar has low data coverage, its contribution to the overall score is reduced or excluded.
Environment 4.0/10 When a pillar has low data coverage, its contribution to the overall score is reduced or excluded.
Conflict 5.9/10
Indicator-level detail
Crime 4.0/10 When a pillar has low data coverage, its contribution to the overall score is reduced or excluded. · Moderate · Coverage: 0%
Health 4.0/10 When a pillar has low data coverage, its contribution to the overall score is reduced or excluded. · Moderate · Coverage: 0%
Governance 4.0/10 When a pillar has low data coverage, its contribution to the overall score is reduced or excluded. · Moderate · Coverage: 0%
Environment 4.0/10 When a pillar has low data coverage, its contribution to the overall score is reduced or excluded. · Moderate · Coverage: 0%
Conflict 5.9/10 · Moderate · Coverage: 50%
| Indicators | Value | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| ucdp conflict deaths | 10.0/10 | ucdp | 2025 |
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What do governments say?
Sources (2)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to travel to Western Sahara in 2026?
Yes, but with caution — Western Sahara is moderately safe: as of July 2026 it scores 5.2/10 on our daily safety index, classified as Moderate risk. Most trips are trouble-free, but some risks deserve attention.
The score is an uncertainty-weighted (Bayesian shrinkage) geometric mean of five pillars — conflict (30%), crime (25%), health (20%), governance (15%) and environment (10%) — combined with a calibrated consensus of government travel advisories, so a weak pillar drags the overall score down more than a strong one lifts it, and thin or stale data pulls a country's score toward a cautious regional baseline rather than guessing. conflict (5.9/10) is Western Sahara's strongest pillar, while the score is pulled down by conflict (5.9/10) and above all by conflict (5.9/10).
This pillar measures armed conflict, terrorism and political violence — a low score means instability can affect personal safety and disrupt travel plans. It is recalculated every day from public sources including government travel advisories, the Global Peace Index, the INFORM Risk Index and World Bank indicators.
What is the biggest risk when traveling to Western Sahara?
No single factor stands out as critical for Western Sahara: its relatively weakest area is conflict at 5.9/10, close to the global mid-range. This pillar measures armed conflict, terrorism and political violence — a low score means instability can affect personal safety and disrupt travel plans.
The main signal behind this is conflict deaths (UCDP). Its strongest pillar is conflict at 5.9/10.
What do government travel advisories say about Western Sahara?
As of July 2026, Western Sahara has 2 government travel advisories on record. Most governments now advise against all travel to Western Sahara: the highest-level warning — do not travel — has been issued by Japan, among others.
How does Western Sahara compare to nearby countries?
| Country | Score | Conflict | Crime | Health | Governance | Environment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seychelles | 7.8 | 8.5 | 6.3 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 7.9 |
| Mauritius | 7.8 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 6.5 | 7.5 |
| Cabo Verde | 7.5 | 7.8 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 7.6 |
| Botswana | 7.5 | 7.9 | 6.6 | 7.2 | 6.5 | 7.1 |
| Western Sahara | 5.2 | 5.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Related Countries
Similar safety scores
How has the safety score changed over time?
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Where does the data come from?
- advisoriesFresh
Travel advisories from 37 governments worldwide including US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Slovakia, France, New Zealand, Ireland, Finland, Hong Kong, Brazil, Austria, Philippines, Belgium, Denmark, Singapore, Romania, Serbia, Estonia, Croatia, Argentina, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, China, India, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Portugal
Fetched: Jul 12, 2026
- ucdpFresh
UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset (Uppsala Conflict Data Program) -- state-based and one-sided conflict deaths, via the Our World in Data mirror (CC-BY)
Fetched: Jul 12, 2026