Idlib scores 54 out of 100 (moderate safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 4898 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 Idlib safe?

Syria · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04

54.4Moderate · rank 4898 / 6,168
safer than 21% of ranked cities

Idlib is a city in Syria, home to about 123k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,898 of 6,168, with a safety score of 54.4 out of 100, which lands it in the middle band of the ranking.

US 4/4 Do not travel UK FCDO advises against all travel to this country

Armed conflict nearbyUCDP recorded 2,612 deaths from organized violence within 100 km in 2022-2024 (1,041 events). Crime figures do not capture war risk.
US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for Syria, updated 2025-12-10.
UK FCDO advises against all travel to this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-09-02.
Same-sex activity criminalizedLaw on the books in Syria as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.

Deadliest recorded locations nearby

Talet Aqil, Talet Al-Raqib and Tal Al-Dababat near Qabtan Al-Jabal town the villages and towns of Al-Sheikh Aqeil, Anjarah, Bala, Hayr Darkal, Qubtan Al-Jabal, Al-Saloum, Jam’eat Al-Ma’ari, Al-Qasmyah, Kafr Bseen and Ajeil in western Aleppo countryside97 deaths · 1 event
Hama countryside87 deaths · 1 event
Jibreen area near Aleppo International Airport33 deaths · 1 event

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

How safe is Idlib really?

No published homicide figure exists for Idlib itself, so the national rate stands in: Syria recorded 2.1 homicides per 100,000 people in 2010 - close to the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Syria is also one of the more equal societies in the dataset (Gini 26.4), and low inequality is the strongest structural predictor of low city violence in this data.

Crime statistics are not the main story here: the Uppsala Conflict Data Program recorded 2,612 deaths from organized violence - war, armed conflict, militia or cartel fighting - within 100 km of Idlib across 1,041 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 Talet Aqil, Talet Al-Raqib and Tal Al-Dababat near Qabtan Al-Jabal town the villages and towns of Al-Sheikh Aqeil, Anjarah, Bala, Hayr Darkal, Qubtan Al-Jabal, Al-Saloum, Jam’eat Al-Ma’ari, Al-Qasmyah, Kafr Bseen and Ajeil in western Aleppo countryside (97 deaths), Hama countryside (87 deaths), Jibreen area near Aleppo International Airport (33 deaths).

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Syria at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2025-12-10). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to this country. 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 Syria

Terrorism in Syria · Examples of previous significant attacks include: · Terrorist kidnap · Security situation · Political activity · Journalists in Syria · Unexploded Weapons · Basic services · Sanctions · Criminal kidnapping · Religion · Personal ID · Illegal drugs penalties · Money · +4 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 2.1 /100knational rate, 2010
Conflict deaths: 2,612within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 26.4country, 2022
Human development: HDI 0.564country, 2023
Income: $4,740/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 123kurban centre · 10,218/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 14.9 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 25/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 26/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 15/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 7.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.36Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 32.1 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 1.5 doctors /1k1.4 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Syria

Drought: 8.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Earthquake: 7.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 6.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Tsunami: 2.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

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

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

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

How the score works

Low homicide40%59

Peace25%15

Equality25%86

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 Idlib that gives 54.4/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Idlib compared with Hatay

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Idlib, red favours Hatay.
Measure	Idlib	Hatay	Difference
Safety score	54.4	47.3	+7.0 — better for Idlib
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	2.1 /100k	2.4 /100k	−0.4 /100k — better for Idlib
Conflict deaths within 100 km	2,612	1,964	+648 — better for Hatay
Income inequality (Gini)	26.4	43.7	−17.3 — better for Idlib
Human development (HDI)	0.564	0.853	−0.289 — better for Hatay
Road deaths	14.9 /100k	6.7 /100k	+8.2 /100k — better for Hatay
Rule of law	26/100	42/100	−16/100 — better for Hatay
Corruption perceptions	15/100	31/100	−16/100 — better for Hatay
Air quality (PM2.5)	32.1 µg/m³	26.4 µg/m³	+5.7 µg/m³ — better for Hatay
Natural-hazard risk	7.6/10	5.2/10	+2.4/10 — better for Hatay

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 Hatay →

Nearby cities

See Idlib on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →