Is El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh safe?
Algeria · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh is a city in Algeria, home to about 146k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 1,883 of 6,168, with a safety score of 79.9 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.
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.
- 1 airline certified in Algeria is banned from EU airspaceThe EU Air Safety List (2026) names one carrier certified in Algeria as failing international safety standards; other carriers certified there are not listed. This covers flights operated by Algeria-certified airlines, typically domestic and regional routes; international carriers flying into Algeria are certified elsewhere and are not affected.
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 El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh.
How safe is El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh really?
No published homicide figure exists for El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh 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 El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh. 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
- 146kurban centre · 14,607/km²
- Nearest airport
- 102 kmMecheria Airport (MZW)
Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).
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 El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Algeria (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.
The EU bars 1 airline certified in Algeria from European airspace on safety grounds; other carriers certified there are not listed (EU Air Safety List, 2026). This concerns flights operated by Algeria-certified airlines, typically domestic and regional routes, not the international carriers most visitors arrive on. See the airlines listed
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 El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh that gives 79.9/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh compared with Mecheria
| Measure | El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh | Mecheria | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 79.9 | 79.9 | ±0.0 |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 1.4 /100k | 1.4 /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 Algeria, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Mecheria →
Nearby cities
- Mecheria 79.9
- Aflou 79.9
- Saida 79.9
- Laghouat 79.9
- Sidi Bel Abbes 79.9
- Mascara 79.9
- Tlemcen 79.9
- Tiaret 78.0
See El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →