Is Muscat safe?
Oman · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04
Muscat is a city in Oman, home to about 781k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 127 of 6,168, with a safety score of 87.8 out of 100 - among the safest cities in this dataset.
Emergency 9999 (ambulance, fire, police)
- US State Department: Reconsider travelOfficial travel advisory level 3 of 4 for Oman, updated 2026-04-08.
- Same-sex activity criminalizedLaw on the books in Oman 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 Oman are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Muscat really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Muscat recorded 0.6 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2018 - well below the global city median.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Oman at level 3 of 4 - "Reconsider travel" (updated 2026-04-08). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Oman 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 Oman
Terrorism in Oman · Political situation · Sexual assault · Personal ID · Ramadan · Alcohol laws · E-cigarette and vape bans · Blood test following arrest · Dress codes · Unmarried couples · Illegal drugs penalties · Public offences · Pornography · Using cameras and binoculars · +14 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Oman — country-level, not specific to Muscat. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 0.6 /100kcity-measured, 2018
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- no datacountry,
- Human development
- HDI 0.858country, 2023
- Income
- $39,390/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 781kurban centre · 5,068/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 10.6 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 77/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 65/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 52/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 2.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.76Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 46.9 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 91%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 2.0 doctors /1k1.0 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Oman
- Tsunami
- 9.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 3.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 2.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 1.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Oman as a whole, not Muscat specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Oman (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.
All country-level figures shared by every city in Oman; 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 Muscat that gives 87.8/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Muscat compared with Seeb
| Measure | Muscat | Seeb | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 87.8 | 87.8 | ±0.0 |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 0.6 /100k | 0.6 /100k | ±0.0 /100k |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in Oman, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Seeb →
Nearby cities
- Seeb 87.8
- Sohar 98.1
- Al Ain, United Arab Emirates 89.1
- Chabahar, Iran 63.9
- Al Saja'a Industrial, United Arab Emirates 89.1
- Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates 89.1
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates 85.3
- Al Falah, United Arab Emirates 85.4
See Muscat on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →