Is Dashoguz safe?
Turkmenistan · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04
Dashoguz is a city in Turkmenistan, home to about 212k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 2,841 of 6,168, with a safety score of 74.7 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.
Emergency Ambulance 03 (from landline) · Ambulance 003 (from mobile) · Fire 01 (from landline) · Fire 001 (from mobile) · Police 02 (from landline) · Police 002 (from mobile)
- Same-sex activity criminalizedLaw on the books in Turkmenistan as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Turkmenistan are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Dashoguz really?
No published homicide figure exists for Dashoguz itself, so the national rate stands in: Turkmenistan recorded 1.0 homicides per 100,000 people in 2015 - well below the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Turkmenistan's income inequality is middling (Gini 40.8) - 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 Turkmenistan at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2026-08-20). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Turkmenistan 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 Turkmenistan
Terrorism in Turkmenistan · Border restrictions · Personal ID · Crime · Ramadan · Alcohol laws and bans · Smoking and e-cigarette bans · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Taking photos in secure areas · Internet and mobile network · Relationships with Turkmens · LGBT+ travellers · Road travel · Taxis · +1 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Turkmenistan — country-level, not specific to Dashoguz. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 1.0 /100knational rate, 2015
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 40.8country, 1998
- Human development
- HDI 0.764country, 2023
- Income
- $22,830/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 212kurban centre · 4,501/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 13.5 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 70/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 33/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 17/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 2.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.72Georgetown 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
- 95%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 1.9 doctors /1k3.6 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Turkmenistan
- Flood
- 8.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 4.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 3.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Turkmenistan as a whole, not Dashoguz specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Turkmenistan (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.
All country-level figures shared by every city in Turkmenistan; 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 Dashoguz that gives 74.7/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Dashoguz compared with Ashgabat
| Measure | Dashoguz | Ashgabat | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 74.7 | 74.7 | ±0.0 |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 1.0 /100k | 1.0 /100k | ±0.0 /100k |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in Turkmenistan, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Ashgabat →
Nearby cities
- Khiva, Uzbekistan 76.7
- Urgench, Uzbekistan 76.7
- Nukus, Uzbekistan 76.7
- Turtkul, Uzbekistan 76.7
- Turkmenabat 74.7
- G'ijduvon, Uzbekistan 76.7
- Bukhara, Uzbekistan 76.7
- Ashgabat 74.7
See Dashoguz on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →