Is Bangui safe?
Central African Republic · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
Bangui is a city in Central African Republic, home to about 1.1M people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,687 of 6,168, with a safety score of 42.7 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.
Emergency 117 (ambulance, fire, police) · Ambulance 610600 · Fire 118
- US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for Central African Republic, updated 2025-11-09.
- UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-05-28.
- Elevated homicide rate10.9 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 4× the global city median.
Deadliest recorded locations nearby
- Boyali village44 deaths · 1 event
UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of Bangui, 2022-2024, at the locations the source itself names. Conflict deaths, not street crime.
How safe is Bangui really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Bangui recorded 11 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2016 - roughly 4 times the global city median. Central African Republic's income inequality is middling (Gini 43.0) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.
Bangui also carries some conflict exposure: UCDP recorded 49 deaths from organized violence within 100 km across 5 events in 2022-2024 - a factor crime statistics alone would miss. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were Boyali village (44 deaths).
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Central African Republic at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2025-11-09). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of this country. 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 Central African Republic
Terrorism in the Central African Republic · Political situation · Armed patrols and roadblocks · Violent attacks in remote areas · Personal ID · Buying diamonds · Illegal drugs penalties · Using cameras · LGBT+ travellers · Money · Road travel · Extreme weather and natural disasters · Flooding · Earthquakes
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Central African Republic — country-level, not specific to Bangui. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 11 /100kcity-measured, 2016 · ~4× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 49within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 43.0country, 2021
- Human development
- HDI 0.414country, 2023
- Income
- $1,390/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 1.1Murban centre · 8,882/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 37.7 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 35/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 27/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 24/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 7.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.36Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 33.3 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 6%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.1 doctors /1k1.0 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 344 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Central African Republic
- Flood
- 6.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 2.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Central African Republic as a whole, not Bangui specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Central African Republic (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Central African Republic; none of them affect the safety score.
How the score works
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 Bangui that gives 42.7/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Bangui compared with Gemena
| Measure | Bangui | Gemena | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 42.7 | 69.2 | −26.5 — better for Gemena |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 11 /100k | no data | — |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 49 | 0 | +49 — better for Gemena |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 43.0 | 44.7 | −1.7 — better for Bangui |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.414 | 0.522 | −0.108 — better for Gemena |
| Road deaths | 37.7 /100k | 34.9 /100k | +2.8 /100k — better for Gemena |
| Rule of law | 27/100 | 29/100 | −2/100 — better for Gemena |
| Corruption perceptions | 24/100 | 20/100 | +4/100 — better for Bangui |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 33.3 µg/m³ | 35.8 µg/m³ | −2.5 µg/m³ — better for Bangui |
| Natural-hazard risk | 7.8/10 | 8.0/10 | −0.2/10 — better for Bangui |
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 Gemena →
Nearby cities
- Gemena, DR Congo 69.2
- Gbadolite, DR Congo 50.9
- Basankusu, DR Congo 69.2
- Lisala, DR Congo 69.2
- Mbandaka, DR Congo 69.2
- Bumba, DR Congo 69.2
- Doba, Chad 57.9
- Koumra, Chad 64.7
See Bangui on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →