Is Makhachkala safe?
Russia · Europe · data updated 2026-09-04
Makhachkala is a city in Russia, home to about 718k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,682 of 6,168, with a safety score of 57.3 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.
Emergency 112 (ambulance, fire, police)
- US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for Russia, updated 2025-12-28.
- UK FCDO advises against all travel to this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-07-03.
- Elevated homicide rate7.82 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 3× the global city median.
- 22 airlines certified in Russia are banned from EU airspaceThe EU Air Safety List (2026) names 22 carriers certified in Russia as failing international safety standards; other carriers certified there are not listed. This covers flights operated by Russia-certified airlines, typically domestic and regional routes; international carriers flying into Russia are certified elsewhere and are not affected.
Deadliest recorded locations nearby
- Derbent and Makhachkala areas of Dagestan, Russia13 deaths · 1 event
UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of Makhachkala, 2022-2024, at the locations the source itself names. Conflict deaths, not street crime.
How safe is Makhachkala really?
No published homicide figure exists for Makhachkala itself, so the national rate stands in: Russia recorded 7.8 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - roughly 3 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Russia's income inequality is middling (Gini 33.0) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.
Makhachkala also carries some conflict exposure: UCDP recorded 19 deaths from organized violence within 100 km across 2 events in 2022-2024 - a factor crime statistics alone would miss. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were Derbent and Makhachkala areas of Dagestan, Russia (13 deaths).
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Russia at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2025-12-28). 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 Russia
Terrorism in Russia · Terrorism in the North Caucasus · Security situation in Russia · Land border crossings · Staying in Russia · Russia’s invasion of Ukraine · Military activity in Kursk Oblast · Foreign fighters · Risk of arrest and detention · Getting help while in detention · Restrictions on publishing and distributing information · International sanctions against Russia · Protests and demonstrations · Protecting your belongings · +28 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Russia — country-level, not specific to Makhachkala. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 7.8 /100knational rate, 2024 · ~3× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 19within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 33.0country, 2023
- Human development
- HDI 0.832country, 2023
- Income
- $49,220/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 718kurban centre · 5,238/km²
- Nearest airport
- 21 kmMakhachkala Uytash International Airport (MCX)
Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 12.0 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 50/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 37/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 22/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 3.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.72Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 11.6 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 76%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 5.1 doctors /1k6.8 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards in Russia
- Flood
- 8.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 5.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 4.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 4.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 2.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Russia as a whole, not Makhachkala specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Russia (as of 2025).
The EU bars 22 airlines certified in Russia from European airspace on safety grounds; other carriers certified there are not listed (EU Air Safety List, 2026). This concerns flights operated by Russia-certified airlines, typically domestic and regional routes, not the international carriers most visitors arrive on. See the airlines listed
All country-level figures shared by every city in Russia; none of them affect the safety score.
How the score works
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 Makhachkala that gives 57.3/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Makhachkala compared with Kaspiysk
| Measure | Makhachkala | Kaspiysk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 57.3 | 57.3 | ±0.0 |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 7.8 /100k | 7.8 /100k | ±0.0 /100k |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 19 | 19 | ±0 |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in Russia, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Kaspiysk →
Nearby cities
- Kaspiysk 57.3
- Khasavyurt 54.3
- Derbent 59.4
- Grozny 54.3
- Sunzha 54.6
- Nazran 54.6
- Vladikavkaz 54.5
- Mingachevir, Azerbaijan 61.3
See Makhachkala on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Europe → · Full travel briefings →