Is Mansa safe?
Zambia · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
Mansa is a city in Zambia, home to about 336k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,802 of 6,168, with a safety score of 55.6 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.
Emergency Police 991 · Ambulance 992 · Fire 993
- Elevated homicide rate5.2 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate).
- Same-sex activity criminalizedLaw on the books in Zambia as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.
- High income inequalityGini 51.5 puts Zambia 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 Zambia are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Mansa really?
No published homicide figure exists for Mansa itself, so the national rate stands in: Zambia recorded 5.2 homicides per 100,000 people in 2015 - close to the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. That matters because income inequality is the strongest structural predictor of city violence in this dataset, and Zambia's Gini of 51.5 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 Zambia at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2023-07-30). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Zambia 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 Zambia
Terrorism in Zambia · Political situation · Crime · Pornography laws · Illegal drugs · Using cameras in secure areas · LGBT+ travellers · Wildlife, animal products and souvenirs · Outdoor activities and adventure tourism · Road travel · Road conditions and driving standards · Buses and minibuses
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Zambia — country-level, not specific to Mansa. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 5.2 /100knational rate, 2015
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 51.5country, 2022
- Human development
- HDI 0.595country, 2023
- Income
- $3,990/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 336kurban centre · 6,578/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 20.5 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 64/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 47/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 37/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 5.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.57Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 20.2 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.3 doctors /1k2.0 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 252 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Zambia
- Drought
- 5.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 4.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 2.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Zambia as a whole, not Mansa specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Zambia (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.
All country-level figures shared by every city in Zambia; 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 Mansa that gives 55.6/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Mansa compared with Lubumbashi
| Measure | Mansa | Lubumbashi | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 55.6 | 64.2 | −8.6 — better for Lubumbashi |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 5.2 /100k | no data | — |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 2 | −2 — better for Mansa |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 51.5 | 44.7 | +6.8 — better for Lubumbashi |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.595 | 0.522 | +0.073 — better for Mansa |
| Road deaths | 20.5 /100k | 34.9 /100k | −14.4 /100k — better for Mansa |
| Rule of law | 47/100 | 29/100 | +18/100 — better for Mansa |
| Corruption perceptions | 37/100 | 20/100 | +17/100 — better for Mansa |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 20.2 µg/m³ | 35.8 µg/m³ | −15.6 µg/m³ — better for Mansa |
| Natural-hazard risk | 5.8/10 | 8.0/10 | −2.2/10 — better for Mansa |
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 Lubumbashi →
Nearby cities
- Musangala, DR Congo 64.2
- Lubumbashi, DR Congo 64.2
- Kasumbalesa, DR Congo 69.2
- Mufulira 55.6
- Chingola 55.6
- Mwadingusha, DR Congo 64.2
- Kipushi, DR Congo 69.2
- Kitwe 55.6
See Mansa on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →