Is Managua safe?
Nicaragua · North America · data updated 2026-09-04
Managua is a city in Nicaragua, home to about 1.3M people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,662 of 6,168, with a safety score of 57.5 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.
Emergency 911 (ambulance, fire, police)
- US State Department: Reconsider travelOfficial travel advisory level 3 of 4 for Nicaragua, updated 2026-05-13.
- Elevated homicide rate7.1 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 3× the global city median.
- High income inequalityGini 46.2 puts Nicaragua in the most unequal quarter of countries - the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset (street crime and robbery tend to track it).
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Nicaragua are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Managua really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Managua recorded 7.1 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2022 - roughly 3 times the global city median. That matters because income inequality is the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset, and Nicaragua's Gini of 46.2 puts it in the most unequal quarter of countries - conditions under which street crime and robbery tend to be a real concern.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Nicaragua at level 3 of 4 - "Reconsider travel" (updated 2026-05-13). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Nicaragua without any avoid-travel warning in force. 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 Nicaragua
Terrorism in Nicaragua · Political situation · Violent crime · Taxi safety and criminal kidnap · Sexual assault · Risks when exchanging money · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Flying drones · Swimming safety · Scuba diving · Road travel · Driving standards and road conditions · Boat and ferry travel · Hurricanes · +2 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Nicaragua — country-level, not specific to Managua. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 7.1 /100kcity-measured, 2022 · ~3× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 46.2country, 2014
- Human development
- HDI 0.706country, 2023
- Income
- $8,780/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 1.3Murban centre · 5,981/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 16.9 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 65/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 29/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 14/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 4.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.66Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 20.4 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.7 doctors /1k1.0 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 1 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Nicaragua
- Earthquake
- 8.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 7.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 5.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 4.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 3.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Nicaragua as a whole, not Managua specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Nicaragua (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Nicaragua; 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 Managua that gives 57.5/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Managua compared with Tegucigalpa
| Measure | Managua | Tegucigalpa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 57.5 | 39.8 | +17.7 — better for Managua |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 7.1 /100k | 18 /100k | −11 /100k — better for Managua |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 52 | −52 — better for Managua |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 46.2 | 45.7 | +0.5 — better for Tegucigalpa |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.706 | 0.645 | +0.061 — better for Managua |
| Road deaths | 16.9 /100k | 16.1 /100k | +0.8 /100k — better for Tegucigalpa |
| Rule of law | 29/100 | 37/100 | −8/100 — better for Tegucigalpa |
| Corruption perceptions | 14/100 | 22/100 | −8/100 — better for Tegucigalpa |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 20.4 µg/m³ | 30.7 µg/m³ | −10.3 µg/m³ — better for Managua |
| Natural-hazard risk | 4.3/10 | 5.8/10 | −1.5/10 — better for Managua |
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 Tegucigalpa →
Nearby cities
- Masaya 57.5
- León 59.3
- Matagalpa 59.3
- Esteli 59.3
- Chinandega 59.3
- Choluteca, Honduras 37.8
- Tegucigalpa, Honduras 39.8
- San Miguel, El Salvador 58.0
See Managua on the interactive map → · Safest cities in North America → · Full travel briefings →