Arua scores 41 out of 100 (moderate safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 5768 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).

Is Arua safe?

Uganda · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04

41.0Moderate · rank 5768 / 6,168
safer than 6% of ranked cities

Arua is a city in Uganda, home to about 226k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,768 of 6,168, with a safety score of 41.0 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.

US 4/4 Do not travel

Emergency 999 (ambulance, fire, police)

US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for Uganda, updated 2025-12-07.
Elevated homicide rate8.82 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 3× the global city median.
Same-sex activity criminalized - death penalty in lawLaw on the books in Uganda as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.

Deadliest recorded locations nearby

Panduru chieftaincy Awuu, Jupazanga and Terutoro in Mahagi territory Panduru area Jopalangu, Rara, Kularaye, Alyana and Asiki.32 deaths · 1 event
anyals 2 groupement Djupujanga, Banda, Djupukundo, Djupaketa and Ape25 deaths · 1 event
Kandoyi/Alu village, Aru territory Shaba mining site Shaba area of Aru15 deaths · 1 event

UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of Arua, 2022-2024, at the locations the source itself names. Conflict deaths, not street crime.

How safe is Arua really?

No published homicide figure exists for Arua itself, so the national rate stands in: Uganda recorded 8.8 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - roughly 3 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Uganda's income inequality is middling (Gini 42.7) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

Arua also carries some conflict exposure: UCDP recorded 316 deaths from organized violence within 100 km across 88 events in 2022-2024 - a factor crime statistics alone would miss. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were Panduru chieftaincy Awuu, Jupazanga and Terutoro in Mahagi territory Panduru area Jopalangu, Rara, Kularaye, Alyana and Asiki. (32 deaths), anyals 2 groupement Djupujanga, Banda, Djupukundo, Djupaketa and Ape (25 deaths), Kandoyi/Alu village, Aru territory Shaba mining site Shaba area of Aru (15 deaths).

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Uganda at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2025-12-07). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Uganda 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 Uganda

Terrorism in Uganda · Political situation · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Vehicle crime · Food and drink spiking · Methanol poisoning · Scams · National cleaning day · Personal ID · Wearing military-style clothing · Helping children on Kampala’s streets · Smoking and e-cigarette bans · Illegal drug penalties · Using cameras in secure areas · +7 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 8.8 /100knational rate, 2024 · ~3× the global city median
Conflict deaths: 316within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 42.7country, 2019
Human development: HDI 0.582country, 2023
Income: $3,410/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 226kurban centre · 4,528/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 29.4 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 48/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 44/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 25/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 6.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.59Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 31.2 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 18%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 0.2 doctors /1k0.5 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 264 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Uganda

Drought: 7.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 3.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Earthquake: 3.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

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

Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Uganda, with the death penalty applying in law (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.

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

How the score works

Low homicide40%34

Peace25%37

Equality25%50

Development10%58

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 Arua that gives 41.0/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Arua compared with Nimule

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Arua, red favours Nimule.
Measure	Arua	Nimule	Difference
Safety score	41.0	41.5	−0.5 — better for Nimule
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	8.8 /100k	14 /100k	−5.2 /100k — better for Arua
Conflict deaths within 100 km	316	29	+287 — better for Nimule
Income inequality (Gini)	42.7	44.0	−1.3 — better for Arua
Human development (HDI)	0.582	0.388	+0.194 — better for Arua
Road deaths	29.4 /100k	36.7 /100k	−7.3 /100k — better for Arua
Rule of law	44/100	23/100	+21/100 — better for Arua
Corruption perceptions	25/100	9/100	+16/100 — better for Arua
Air quality (PM2.5)	31.2 µg/m³	23.7 µg/m³	+7.5 µg/m³ — better for Nimule
Natural-hazard risk	6.7/10	8.3/10	−1.6/10 — better for Arua

Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Country-level rows describe the two countries, not the cities themselves. Full report for Nimule →

Nearby cities

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