Khost scores 38 out of 100 (low safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 5898 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 Khost safe?

Afghanistan · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04

38.0Low · rank 5898 / 6,168
safer than 4% of ranked cities

Khost is a city in Afghanistan, home to about 189k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,898 of 6,168, with a safety score of 38.0 out of 100, placing it clearly below the global midpoint.

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

Emergency 119 (police)

Armed conflict nearbyUCDP recorded 1,638 deaths from organized violence within 100 km in 2022-2024 (445 events). Crime figures do not capture war risk.
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

Kurram districts, KP89 deaths · 1 event
Seven villages in Barmal, Paktika province, Afg. multiple villages, including Margha, Laman, Angor Ada, Charkhoorhai Ada, Tangai, Pasa Maela, and Wazirgee51 deaths · 1 event
Kurram district45 deaths · 4 events

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

How safe is Khost really?

No published homicide figure exists for Khost 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.

Crime statistics are not the main story here: the Uppsala Conflict Data Program recorded 1,638 deaths from organized violence - war, armed conflict, militia or cartel fighting - within 100 km of Khost across 445 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 Kurram districts, KP (89 deaths), Seven villages in Barmal, Paktika province, Afg. multiple villages, including Margha, Laman, Angor Ada, Charkhoorhai Ada, Tangai, Pasa Maela, and Wazirgee (51 deaths), Kurram district (45 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 Khost. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 4.2 /100knational rate, 2023
Conflict deaths: 1,638within 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: 189kurban centre · 2,815/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 Khost 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%20

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 Khost that gives 38.0/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Khost compared with Bannu

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Khost, red favours Bannu.
Measure	Khost	Bannu	Difference
Safety score	38.0	46.1	−8.1 — better for Bannu
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	4.2 /100k	4.3 /100k	−0.1 /100k — better for Khost
Conflict deaths within 100 km	1,638	1,769	−131 — better for Khost
Income inequality (Gini)	no data	33.5	—
Human development (HDI)	0.496	0.544	−0.048 — better for Bannu
Road deaths	15.9 /100k	13.0 /100k	+2.9 /100k — better for Bannu
Rule of law	24/100	39/100	−15/100 — better for Bannu
Corruption perceptions	16/100	28/100	−12/100 — better for Bannu
Air quality (PM2.5)	37.9 µg/m³	58.4 µg/m³	−20.5 µg/m³ — better for Khost
Natural-hazard risk	7.8/10	6.6/10	+1.2/10 — better for Bannu

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 Bannu →

Nearby cities

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