Kandahar scores 50 out of 100 (moderate safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 5165 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 Kandahar safe?

Afghanistan · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04

50.4Moderate · rank 5165 / 6,168
safer than 16% of ranked cities

Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, home to about 799k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,165 of 6,168, with a safety score of 50.4 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.

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

Emergency 119 (police)

US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for Afghanistan, updated 2026-02-19.
UK FCDO advises against all travel to this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-07-30.
Same-sex activity criminalized - death penalty in lawLaw on the books in Afghanistan as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.

Deadliest recorded locations nearby

New Kabul Bank in PD1 of Kandahar city27 deaths · 1 event
Kabul Ada" area of Kandahar city6 deaths · 1 event
second security area of Kandahar city5 deaths · 1 event

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

How safe is Kandahar really?

No published homicide figure exists for Kandahar itself, so the national rate stands in: Afghanistan recorded 4.2 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023 - close to the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average.

Kandahar also carries some conflict exposure: UCDP recorded 52 deaths from organized violence within 100 km across 18 events in 2022-2024 - a factor crime statistics alone would miss. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were New Kabul Bank in PD1 of Kandahar city (27 deaths), Kabul Ada" area of Kandahar city (6 deaths), second security area of Kandahar city (5 deaths).

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Afghanistan at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2026-02-19). 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 Afghanistan

Terrorism in Afghanistan · Terrorist kidnap · Tour operators in Afghanistan · Protests · UK government support for detainees · Crime · Criminal kidnaps · Laws on dress · Lack of women’s rights · Ramadan · Illegal food, drugs and alcohol · Mobile phones, internet access and communications · Using cameras in secure areas · LGBT+ travellers · +6 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 4.2 /100knational rate, 2023
Conflict deaths: 52within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: no datacountry,
Human development: HDI 0.496country, 2023
Income: $2,250/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 799kurban centre · 8,780/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 15.9 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 28/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 24/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 16/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 7.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.28Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 37.9 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 31%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 0.3 doctors /1k0.4 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 18 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Afghanistan

Earthquake: 8.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 8.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 7.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

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

Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Afghanistan, 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 Afghanistan; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%47

Peace25%57

Equality25%no data

Development10%50

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 Kandahar that gives 50.4/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Kandahar compared with Quetta

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Kandahar, red favours Quetta.
Measure	Kandahar	Quetta	Difference
Safety score	50.4	50.8	−0.4 — better for Quetta
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	4.2 /100k	4.3 /100k	−0.1 /100k — better for Kandahar
Conflict deaths within 100 km	52	311	−259 — better for Kandahar
Income inequality (Gini)	no data	33.5	—
Human development (HDI)	0.496	0.544	−0.048 — better for Quetta
Road deaths	15.9 /100k	13.0 /100k	+2.9 /100k — better for Quetta
Rule of law	24/100	39/100	−15/100 — better for Quetta
Corruption perceptions	16/100	28/100	−12/100 — better for Quetta
Air quality (PM2.5)	37.9 µg/m³	58.4 µg/m³	−20.5 µg/m³ — better for Kandahar
Natural-hazard risk	7.8/10	6.6/10	+1.2/10 — better for Quetta

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 Quetta →

Nearby cities

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