Gwoza scores 36 out of 100 (low safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 5953 of 6168 cities worldwide. The score combines the homicide rate, nearby conflict deaths, income equality and human development from published data (UNODC, UCDP, World Bank, UNDP).

Is Gwoza safe?

Nigeria · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04

35.6Low · rank 5953 / 6,168
safer than 3% of ranked cities

Gwoza is a city in Nigeria, home to about 221k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,953 of 6,168, with a safety score of 35.6 out of 100 - in the lower part of the ranking, and the numbers below explain why.

US 3/4 Reconsider travel UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of this country

Emergency 112 (ambulance, fire, police)

Armed conflict nearbyUCDP recorded 2,872 deaths from organized violence within 100 km in 2022-2024 (636 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

Degbawa, a reclusive location within the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State60 deaths · 1 event
Gazuwa village in Bama local government area52 deaths · 2 events
Bole and Yale camps, Konduga Local Government Area in Borno State43 deaths · 1 event

UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of Gwoza, 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 Gwoza.

How safe is Gwoza really?

No published homicide figure exists for Gwoza 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 2,872 deaths from organized violence - war, armed conflict, militia or cartel fighting - within 100 km of Gwoza across 636 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 Degbawa, a reclusive location within the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State (60 deaths), Gazuwa village in Bama local government area (52 deaths), Bole and Yale camps, Konduga Local Government Area in Borno State (43 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 Gwoza. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 16 /100knational rate, 2023 · ~6× the global city median
Conflict deaths: 2,872within 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: 221kurban centre · 14,709/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 Gwoza 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%14

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 Gwoza that gives 35.6/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Gwoza compared with Maroua

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Gwoza, red favours Maroua.
Measure	Gwoza	Maroua	Difference
Safety score	35.6	39.7	−4.1 — better for Maroua
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	16 /100k	6.8 /100k	+9.0 /100k — better for Maroua
Conflict deaths within 100 km	2,872	1,148	+1,724 — better for Maroua
Income inequality (Gini)	33.9	42.2	−8.3 — better for Gwoza
Human development (HDI)	0.560	0.588	−0.028 — better for Maroua
Road deaths	20.7 /100k	30.2 /100k	−9.5 /100k — better for Gwoza
Rule of law	40/100	35/100	+5/100 — better for Gwoza
Corruption perceptions	26/100	26/100	±0/100
Air quality (PM2.5)	65.7 µg/m³	55.6 µg/m³	+10.1 µg/m³ — better for Maroua
Natural-hazard risk	7.2/10	6.7/10	+0.5/10 — better for Maroua

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 Maroua →

Nearby cities

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