Is Nampula safe?
Mozambique · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
Nampula is a city in Mozambique, home to about 886k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,362 of 6,168, with a safety score of 47.8 out of 100 - mid-table: neither the data for concern nor the data for reassurance dominates.
Emergency Ambulance 848888 or 823388 · Fire 198 · Police 112
- UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of this country3 named areas - see "areas to avoid" below.
- High income inequalityGini 49.6 puts Mozambique 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).
Deadliest recorded locations nearby
- city of Nampula9 deaths · 3 events
- Rua da França, Namicopo neighbourhood in Nampula city7 deaths · 1 event
UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of Nampula, 2022-2024, at the locations the source itself names. Conflict deaths, not street crime.
Areas the UK FCDO advises against visiting country
- Cabo Delgado Province
- Nampula Province
- Niassa Province
Named in the official UK travel advice for Mozambique (in full or in part - the advisory lists exact boundaries and exceptions). These are country-level warnings and may be far from Nampula.
How safe is Nampula really?
No published homicide figure exists for Nampula itself, so the national rate stands in: Mozambique recorded 3.6 homicides per 100,000 people in 2011 - 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 Mozambique's Gini of 49.6 puts it in the most unequal quarter of countries - conditions under which street crime and robbery tend to be a real concern.
Nampula also carries some conflict exposure: UCDP recorded 45 deaths from organized violence within 100 km across 20 events in 2022-2024 - a factor crime statistics alone would miss. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were city of Nampula (9 deaths), Rua da França, Namicopo neighbourhood in Nampula city (7 deaths).
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Mozambique at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2025-06-15). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of this country, naming 3 specific areas - listed above with the official advisory linked for exact boundaries and exceptions. 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 Mozambique
Terrorism in Mozambique · Terrorist kidnap · Political situation · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Carjacking · Police harassment and corruption · Criminal kidnap · Personal ID · Alcohol laws and bans · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Landmines · Using cameras in secure areas · LGBT+ travellers · Money · +5 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Mozambique — country-level, not specific to Nampula. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 3.6 /100knational rate, 2011
- Conflict deaths
- 45within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 49.6country, 2022
- Human development
- HDI 0.493country, 2023
- Income
- $1,540/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 886kurban centre · 7,143/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 30.0 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 36/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 36/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 21/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 7.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.55Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 13.7 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 28%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.2 doctors /1k0.7 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 295 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Mozambique
- Drought
- 7.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 6.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 3.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 3.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 2.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Mozambique as a whole, not Nampula specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Mozambique (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Mozambique; 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 Nampula that gives 47.8/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Nampula compared with Blantyre
| Measure | Nampula | Blantyre | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 47.8 | 69.6 | −21.7 — better for Blantyre |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 3.6 /100k | 1.8 /100k | +1.8 /100k — better for Blantyre |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 45 | 0 | +45 — better for Blantyre |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 49.6 | 38.5 | +11.1 — better for Blantyre |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.493 | 0.517 | −0.024 — better for Blantyre |
| Road deaths | 30.0 /100k | 33.4 /100k | −3.4 /100k — better for Nampula |
| Rule of law | 36/100 | 54/100 | −18/100 — better for Blantyre |
| Corruption perceptions | 21/100 | 34/100 | −13/100 — better for Blantyre |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 13.7 µg/m³ | 16.7 µg/m³ | −3.0 µg/m³ — better for Nampula |
| Natural-hazard risk | 7.0/10 | 4.7/10 | +2.3/10 — better for Blantyre |
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 Blantyre →
Nearby cities
- Nacala 49.5
- Montepuez 44.6
- Gurue 55.3
- Pemba 42.6
- Mocuba 52.0
- Milange 55.3
- Quelimane 53.0
- Blantyre, Malawi 69.6
See Nampula on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →