Is Gaborone safe?
Botswana · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
Gaborone is a city in Botswana, home to about 255k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,325 of 6,168, with a safety score of 48.7 out of 100, which lands it in the middle band of the ranking.
Emergency Ambulance 997 · Fire 998 · Police 999
- Elevated homicide rate12.98 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 5× the global city median.
- High income inequalityGini 54.9 puts Botswana in the most unequal quarter of countries - the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset (street crime and robbery tend to track it).
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Botswana are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Gaborone really?
No published homicide figure exists for Gaborone itself, so the national rate stands in: Botswana recorded 13 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023 - roughly 5 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. That matters because income inequality is the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset, and Botswana's Gini of 54.9 puts it in the most unequal quarter of countries - conditions under which street crime and robbery tend to be a real concern.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Botswana at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2026-06-16). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Botswana 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 Botswana
Terrorism in Botswana · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Sexual assault · Personal ID · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Using cameras in secure areas · LGBT+ travellers · Wildlife, animal products and souvenirs · Outdoor activities and adventure tourism · Road travel · Driving conditions · Taxis · Flooding
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Botswana — country-level, not specific to Gaborone. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 13 /100knational rate, 2023 · ~5× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 54.9country, 2015
- Human development
- HDI 0.731country, 2023
- Income
- $19,960/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 255kurban centre · 2,401/km²
- Nearest airport
- 8 kmSir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE)
Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 26.4 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 84/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 62/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 58/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 2.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.66Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 13.2 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 63%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.4 doctors /1k2.4 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Botswana
- Drought
- 5.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 3.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Botswana as a whole, not Gaborone specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Botswana (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Botswana; 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 Gaborone that gives 48.7/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Gaborone compared with Klipgat
| Measure | Gaborone | Klipgat | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 48.7 | 39.5 | +9.2 — better for Gaborone |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 13 /100k | 40 /100k | −27 /100k — better for Gaborone |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 1 | −1 — better for Gaborone |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 54.9 | 54.1 | +0.8 — better for Klipgat |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.731 | 0.741 | −0.010 — better for Klipgat |
| Road deaths | 26.4 /100k | 22.2 /100k | +4.2 /100k — better for Klipgat |
| Rule of law | 62/100 | 57/100 | +5/100 — better for Gaborone |
| Corruption perceptions | 58/100 | 41/100 | +17/100 — better for Gaborone |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 13.2 µg/m³ | 27.7 µg/m³ | −14.5 µg/m³ — better for Gaborone |
| Natural-hazard risk | 2.9/10 | 5.2/10 | −2.3/10 — better for Gaborone |
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 Klipgat →
Nearby cities
- Seweding, South Africa 41.4
- Rustenburg, South Africa 41.4
- Paardekraal Ext 2, South Africa 41.4
- Mboloko, South Africa 39.5
- Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa 39.5
- Klipgat, South Africa 39.5
- Akasia, South Africa 43.8
- Cosmo City, South Africa 38.0
See Gaborone on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →