World Safety Map

Is Gamboru safe?

Nigeria · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04

35.5Low · rank 5960 / 6,168
safer than 3% of ranked cities

Gamboru is a city in Nigeria, home to about 376k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,960 of 6,168, with a safety score of 35.5 out of 100, placing it clearly below the global midpoint.

Emergency 112 (ambulance, fire, police)

  • Armed conflict nearbyUCDP recorded 3,046 deaths from organized violence within 100 km in 2022-2024 (344 events). Crime figures do not capture war risk.
  • US State Department: Reconsider travelOfficial travel advisory level 3 of 4 for Nigeria, updated 2026-06-11.
  • UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of this country26 named areas - see "areas to avoid" below.
  • Elevated homicide rate15.75 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 6× the global city median.
  • Same-sex activity criminalized - death penalty in lawLaw on the books in Nigeria as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.

Deadliest recorded locations nearby

  • Kusuma, Jibularam and Kwalaram in the North East of Marte, in Borno70 deaths · 2 events
  • Kwallaram island near Jibilarram in Marte Local Government Area70 deaths · 1 event
  • Marte Local Government Area of Borno State69 deaths · 1 event

UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of Gamboru, 2022-2024, at the locations the source itself names. Conflict deaths, not street crime.

Areas the UK FCDO advises against visiting country

  • North East Nigeria
  • North West Nigeria
  • North Central Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, including Abuja
  • South East and South South Nigeria
  • Borno State
  • Yobe State
  • Adamawa State
  • Gombe State
  • Bauchi State
  • Katsina State
  • Zamfara State
  • Kaduna State
  • Kano State
  • Kebbi State
  • Jigawa State
  • Sokoto State
  • Niger State
  • Kogi State
  • Plateau State
  • Taraba State
  • Kwara State
  • Benue State
  • Abia State
  • non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers States
  • Anambra State
  • Imo State

Named in the official UK travel advice for Nigeria (in full or in part - the advisory lists exact boundaries and exceptions). These are country-level warnings and may be far from Gamboru.

How safe is Gamboru really?

No published homicide figure exists for Gamboru itself, so the national rate stands in: Nigeria recorded 16 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023 - roughly 6 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Nigeria's income inequality is middling (Gini 33.9) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

Crime statistics are not the main story here: the Uppsala Conflict Data Program recorded 3,046 deaths from organized violence - war, armed conflict, militia or cartel fighting - within 100 km of Gamboru across 344 events in 2022-2024. That is active-conflict territory, and ordinary crime figures say nothing about it. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were Kusuma, Jibularam and Kwalaram in the North East of Marte, in Borno (70 deaths), Kwallaram island near Jibilarram in Marte Local Government Area (70 deaths), Marte Local Government Area of Borno State (69 deaths).

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Nigeria at level 3 of 4 - "Reconsider travel" (updated 2026-06-11). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of this country, naming 26 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 Nigeria

Terrorism in Nigeria · Terrorist kidnap · Political situation · Curfews and communication blackouts · Street and vehicle crime · Withdrawing and exchanging money · Financial scams · Surrogacy and fertility treatment · Overseas Adoption · Kidnapping for ransom · Methanol poisoning · Using a mobile · Ramadan · Illegal drugs · +8 more

Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Nigeria — country-level, not specific to Gamboru. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate
16 /100knational rate, 2023 · ~6× the global city median
Conflict deaths
3,046within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality
Gini 33.9country, 2022
Human development
HDI 0.560country, 2023
Income
$9,230/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population
376kurban centre · 15,055/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths
20.7 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability
32/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law
40/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions
26/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk
7.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security
0.49Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality
65.7 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water
30%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity
0.4 doctors /1k0.5 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria
294 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Nigeria

Flood
8.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought
3.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Nigeria as a whole, not Gamboru specifically.

Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Nigeria, with the death penalty applying in law (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.

All country-level figures shared by every city in Nigeria; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%23
Peace25%13
Equality25%69
Development10%56

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 Gamboru that gives 35.5/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Gamboru compared with N'Djaména

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Gamboru, red favours N'Djaména.
MeasureGamboruN'DjaménaDifference
Safety score35.549.1−13.7 — better for N'Djaména
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate16 /100kno data
Conflict deaths within 100 km3,046251+2,795 — better for N'Djaména
Income inequality (Gini)33.937.4−3.5 — better for Gamboru
Human development (HDI)0.5600.416+0.144 — better for Gamboru
Road deaths20.7 /100k32.4 /100k−11.7 /100k — better for Gamboru
Rule of law40/10032/100+8/100 — better for Gamboru
Corruption perceptions26/10022/100+4/100 — better for Gamboru
Air quality (PM2.5)65.7 µg/m³43.0 µg/m³+22.7 µg/m³ — better for N'Djaména
Natural-hazard risk7.2/107.9/10−0.7/10 — better for Gamboru

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 N'Djaména

Nearby cities

See Gamboru on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa · Full travel briefings →