Last update: October 11, 2026
Updated dailyIs It Safe to Travel to Western Sahara Right Now?
Only for experienced travelers
5 5.2 out of 10
Safety Score
Limited data — score leans on a cautious regional baseline.
Last updated: October 11, 2026 10% data coverage
Western Sahara has a provisional safety score of 5.2/10 as of October 11, 2026, tentatively rated as High caution — with limited data behind it, so treat this as a cautious estimate rather than a confident verdict. It ranks 222nd out of 248 countries worldwide. Its five safety pillars are closely matched, with no single area standing out as a particular strength or weakness. It combines 2 government travel advisories and one other public dataset and is recalculated daily.
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-Death Count (log-normalized) | 10.0/10 | ucdp | 2025 |
See how these scores are calculated on the Methodology page.
Community Sentiment
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What do governments say?
Sources (2)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to travel to Western Sahara in 2026?
The data available for Western Sahara is thin, so treat this score with caution: as of October 2026 it stands at 5.2/10, provisionally classified as High caution based mostly on regional patterns rather than country-specific evidence. The score is an uncertainty-weighted (Bayesian shrinkage) geometric mean of five pillars: conflict (30%), crime (25%), health (20%), governance (15%) and environment (10%).
A weak pillar drags the overall score down more than a strong one lifts it, and the mix also folds in a calibrated consensus of government travel advisories. Thin or stale data pulls a country's score toward a cautious regional baseline instead of guessing — see our methodology page for the full statistical detail.
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 combines 2 government travel advisories and one other public dataset and is recalculated daily.
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 October 2026, Western Sahara has 2 government travel advisories on record. The prevailing guidance is to reconsider travel to Western Sahara: the most severe warnings — reconsider travel — have been issued by United Kingdom.
How does Western Sahara compare to nearby countries?
| Country | Score | Conflict | Crime | Health | Governance | Environment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mauritius | 7.9 | 8.5 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 6.6 | 7.6 |
| Seychelles | 7.9 | 8.5 | 6.4 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.9 |
| Cabo Verde | 7.7 | 8.2 | 6.9 | 7.6 | 6.2 | 7.7 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 7.6 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 7.9 |
| 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 2 governments: UK FCDO and Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Checked: Oct 11, 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)
Data vintage: 2025Checked: Oct 11, 2026