Nukus scores 77 out of 100 (high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 2138 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 Nukus safe?

Uzbekistan · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04

76.7High · rank 2138 / 6,168
safer than 65% of ranked cities

Nukus is a city in Uzbekistan, home to about 304k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 2,138 of 6,168, with a safety score of 76.7 out of 100 - comfortably in the safer part of the ranking.

US 1/4 Exercise normal precautions

Emergency Ambulance 103 · Fire 101 · Police 102

Same-sex activity criminalizedLaw on the books in Uzbekistan 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 Uzbekistan are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.

How safe is Nukus really?

No published homicide figure exists for Nukus itself, so the national rate stands in: Uzbekistan recorded 1.4 homicides per 100,000 people in 2021 - well below the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Uzbekistan's income inequality is middling (Gini 32.7) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Uzbekistan at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2026-01-21). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Uzbekistan 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 Uzbekistan

Terrorism in Uzbekistan · Political situation · Crime · Personal ID · Illegal drugs and prison sentences · Alcohol laws · Taking photos in secure areas · Prohibited material · Social media · Ramadan · LGBT+ travellers · Money · Road travel · Taxis and buses · +2 more

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

The numbers

Homicide rate: 1.4 /100knational rate, 2021
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 32.7country, 2025
Human development: HDI 0.740country, 2023
Income: $13,640/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 304kurban centre · 4,113/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 11.7 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 65/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 46/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 31/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 3.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.67Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 32.8 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 82%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 2.8 doctors /1k4.9 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Uzbekistan

Flood: 8.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Earthquake: 7.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 6.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

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

Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Uzbekistan (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.

All country-level figures shared by every city in Uzbekistan; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%66

Peace25%100

Equality25%72

Development10%74

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 Nukus that gives 76.7/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Nukus compared with Ashgabat

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Nukus, red favours Ashgabat.
Measure	Nukus	Ashgabat	Difference
Safety score	76.7	74.7	+2.0 — better for Nukus
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	1.4 /100k	1.0 /100k	+0.4 /100k — better for Ashgabat
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0
Income inequality (Gini)	32.7	40.8	−8.1 — better for Nukus
Human development (HDI)	0.740	0.764	−0.024 — better for Ashgabat
Road deaths	11.7 /100k	13.5 /100k	−1.8 /100k — better for Nukus
Rule of law	46/100	33/100	+13/100 — better for Nukus
Corruption perceptions	31/100	17/100	+14/100 — better for Nukus
Air quality (PM2.5)	32.8 µg/m³	31.2 µg/m³	+1.6 µg/m³ — better for Ashgabat
Natural-hazard risk	3.2/10	2.8/10	+0.4/10 — better for Ashgabat

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 Ashgabat →

Nearby cities

See Nukus on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →