Is Amparihimahitsy safe?

Q: Is Amparihimahitsy safe?

Amparihimahitsy scores 56 out of 100 (moderate safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 4780 of 6168 cities worldwide. The score combines the homicide rate, nearby conflict deaths, income equality and human development from published data (UNODC, UCDP, World Bank, UNDP).

Madagascar · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04

55.9Moderate · rank 4780 / 6,168
safer than 23% of ranked cities

Amparihimahitsy is a city in Madagascar, home to about 171k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,780 of 6,168, with a safety score of 55.9 out of 100, which lands it in the middle band of the ranking.

US 2/4 Exercise increased caution

Elevated homicide rate13.7 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 5× the global city median.

No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Madagascar are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.

How safe is Amparihimahitsy really?

The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Amparihimahitsy recorded 14 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2015 - roughly 5 times the global city median. Madagascar's income inequality is middling (Gini 36.8) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Madagascar at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2025-12-03). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Madagascar without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.

What to watch out for in Madagascar

Terrorism in Madagascar · Political situation · Beaches and islands · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Vehicle crime · Criminal kidnaps · Local taboos (‘fady’) · Personal ID · Public offences · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Security personnel and police · LGBT+ travellers · Wildlife, animal products and souvenirs · Stadiums and venues · +4 more

Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Madagascar — country-level, not specific to Amparihimahitsy. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 14 /100kcity-measured, 2015 · ~5× the global city median
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 36.8country, 2021
Human development: HDI 0.487country, 2023
Income: $1,910/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 171kurban centre · 18,998/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 29.2 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 58/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 42/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 25/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 5.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.47Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 12.4 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 22%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 0.2 doctors /1k0.3 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 256 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Madagascar

Cyclone: 6.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Tsunami: 6.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 6.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 4.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Madagascar as a whole, not Amparihimahitsy specifically.

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Madagascar (as of 2025).

All country-level figures shared by every city in Madagascar; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%26

Peace25%100

Equality25%63

Development10%49

One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For Amparihimahitsy that gives 55.9/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Amparihimahitsy compared with Antananarivo

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Amparihimahitsy, red favours Antananarivo.
Measure	Amparihimahitsy	Antananarivo	Difference
Safety score	55.9	59.9	−4.0 — better for Antananarivo
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	14 /100k	7.7 /100k	+6.0 /100k — better for Antananarivo
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0

Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in Madagascar, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Antananarivo →

Nearby cities

See Amparihimahitsy on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →