Mbarara scores 51 out of 100 (moderate safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 5113 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 Mbarara safe?

Uganda · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04

51.4Moderate · rank 5113 / 6,168
safer than 17% of ranked cities

Mbarara is a city in Uganda, home to about 232k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,113 of 6,168, with a safety score of 51.4 out of 100, which lands it in the middle band of the ranking.

US 4/4 Do not travel

Emergency 999 (ambulance, fire, police)

US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for Uganda, updated 2025-12-07.
Elevated homicide rate8.82 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 3× the global city median.
Same-sex activity criminalized - death penalty in lawLaw on the books in Uganda as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.

No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Uganda are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.

How safe is Mbarara really?

No published homicide figure exists for Mbarara itself, so the national rate stands in: Uganda recorded 8.8 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. Uganda's income inequality is middling (Gini 42.7) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

Mbarara also carries some conflict exposure: UCDP recorded 6 deaths from organized violence within 100 km across 2 events in 2022-2024 - a factor crime statistics alone would miss.

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Uganda at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2025-12-07). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Uganda 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 Uganda

Terrorism in Uganda · Political situation · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Vehicle crime · Food and drink spiking · Methanol poisoning · Scams · National cleaning day · Personal ID · Wearing military-style clothing · Helping children on Kampala’s streets · Smoking and e-cigarette bans · Illegal drug penalties · Using cameras in secure areas · +7 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 8.8 /100knational rate, 2024 · ~3× the global city median
Conflict deaths: 6within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 42.7country, 2019
Human development: HDI 0.582country, 2023
Income: $3,410/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 232kurban centre · 4,935/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 29.4 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 48/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 44/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 25/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 6.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.59Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 31.2 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 18%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 0.2 doctors /1k0.5 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 264 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Uganda

Drought: 7.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 3.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Earthquake: 3.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

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

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

How the score works

Low homicide40%34

Peace25%79

Equality25%50

Development10%58

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 Mbarara that gives 51.4/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Mbarara compared with Kigali

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Mbarara, red favours Kigali.
Measure	Mbarara	Kigali	Difference
Safety score	51.4	47.7	+3.7 — better for Mbarara
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	8.8 /100k	3.6 /100k	+5.2 /100k — better for Kigali
Conflict deaths within 100 km	6	533	−527 — better for Mbarara
Income inequality (Gini)	42.7	39.4	+3.3 — better for Kigali
Human development (HDI)	0.582	0.578	+0.004 — better for Mbarara
Road deaths	29.4 /100k	29.4 /100k	±0.0 /100k
Rule of law	44/100	59/100	−15/100 — better for Kigali
Corruption perceptions	25/100	58/100	−33/100 — better for Kigali
Air quality (PM2.5)	31.2 µg/m³	36.0 µg/m³	−4.8 µg/m³ — better for Mbarara
Natural-hazard risk	6.7/10	5.4/10	+1.3/10 — better for Kigali

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 Kigali →

Nearby cities

See Mbarara on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →