Is Bechar safe?
Algeria · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
Bechar is a city in Algeria, home to about 202k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 1,871 of 6,168, with a safety score of 79.9 out of 100 - comfortably in the safer part of the ranking.
Emergency Ambulance 1021 · Fire 14 · Police 17 or 1548
- UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of this country7 named areas - see "areas to avoid" below.
- Same-sex activity criminalizedLaw on the books in Algeria as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.
Areas the UK FCDO advises against visiting country
- Algeria border areas
- Rest of the Algeria-Tunisia border
- Libya
- Mauritania
- Mali
- Niger
- Tunisia – in the provinces of Illizi and Ouargla and in the Chaambi mountains area
Named in the official UK travel advice for Algeria (in full or in part - the advisory lists exact boundaries and exceptions). These are country-level warnings and may be far from Bechar.
How safe is Bechar really?
No published homicide figure exists for Bechar itself, so the national rate stands in: Algeria recorded 1.4 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - well below the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Algeria is also one of the more equal societies in the dataset (Gini 27.6), and low inequality is the strongest structural predictor of low city violence in this data.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Algeria at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2026-08-24). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of this country, naming 7 specific areas - listed above with the official advisory linked for exact boundaries and exceptions. 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 Algeria
Terrorism in Algeria · Terrorist kidnap · Political situation · Algeria-Morocco border · Risk of arrest and detention · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Security escorts · Personal ID · Ramadan · Alcohol laws · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Mobile phone coverage · Using cameras in secure areas · LGBT+ travellers · +9 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Algeria — country-level, not specific to Bechar. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 1.4 /100knational rate, 2024
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 27.6country, 2011
- Human development
- HDI 0.763country, 2023
- Income
- $18,240/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 202kurban centre · 6,123/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 20.9 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 54/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 45/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 34/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 4.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.62Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 16.5 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 69%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 1.7 doctors /1k1.6 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Algeria
- Earthquake
- 7.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 3.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 3.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 1.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Algeria as a whole, not Bechar specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Algeria (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.
All country-level figures shared by every city in Algeria; 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 Bechar that gives 79.9/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Bechar compared with Oujda
| Measure | Bechar | Oujda | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 79.9 | 71.4 | +8.5 — better for Bechar |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 1.4 /100k | 1.7 /100k | −0.3 /100k — better for Bechar |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 27.6 | 39.5 | −11.9 — better for Bechar |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.763 | 0.710 | +0.053 — better for Bechar |
| Road deaths | 20.9 /100k | 17.0 /100k | +3.9 /100k — better for Oujda |
| Rule of law | 45/100 | 51/100 | −6/100 — better for Oujda |
| Corruption perceptions | 34/100 | 39/100 | −5/100 — better for Oujda |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 16.5 µg/m³ | 18.7 µg/m³ | −2.2 µg/m³ — better for Bechar |
| Natural-hazard risk | 4.2/10 | 4.3/10 | −0.1/10 — better for Bechar |
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 Oujda →
Nearby cities
- Errachidia, Morocco 71.4
- Mecheria 79.9
- El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh 79.9
- Guercif, Morocco 71.4
- Taourirt, Morocco 71.4
- Taza, Morocco 71.4
- Oujda, Morocco 71.4
- Sefrou, Morocco 65.4
See Bechar on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →