Is Phnom Penh safe?
Cambodia · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04
Phnom Penh is a city in Cambodia, home to about 2.3M people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 2,945 of 6,168, with a safety score of 74.1 out of 100 - comfortably in the safer part of the ranking.
Emergency Police 117 · Fire 118 · Ambulance 119
- UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-03-19.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Cambodia are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Phnom Penh really?
No published homicide figure exists for Phnom Penh itself, so the national rate stands in: Cambodia recorded 1.8 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.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Cambodia at level 2 of 4 - "Exercise increased caution" (updated 2025-07-24). The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of this country. 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 Cambodia
Terrorism in Cambodia · Land borders · Protests and demonstrations · Landmines · Organised crime · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Sexual assault · Personal safety · Drink spiking · Methanol poisoning · Scams · Personal ID · Legal system and prison sentences · Illegal drugs · +17 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Cambodia — country-level, not specific to Phnom Penh. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 1.8 /100knational rate, 2011
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- no datacountry,
- Human development
- HDI 0.606country, 2023
- Income
- $8,390/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 2.3Murban centre · 6,298/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 19.6 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 68/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 39/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 20/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 6.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.67Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 19.4 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 30%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.2 doctors /1k0.7 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Cambodia
- Flood
- 8.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 4.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 2.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 1.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Cambodia as a whole, not Phnom Penh specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Cambodia (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Cambodia; 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 Phnom Penh that gives 74.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Phnom Penh compared with Long Xuyên
| Measure | Phnom Penh | Long Xuyên | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 74.1 | 74.4 | −0.3 — better for Long Xuyên |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 1.8 /100k | 1.5 /100k | +0.3 /100k — better for Long Xuyên |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | no data | 36.1 | — |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.606 | 0.766 | −0.160 — better for Long Xuyên |
| Road deaths | 19.6 /100k | 30.6 /100k | −11.0 /100k — better for Phnom Penh |
| Rule of law | 39/100 | 52/100 | −13/100 — better for Long Xuyên |
| Corruption perceptions | 20/100 | 41/100 | −21/100 — better for Long Xuyên |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 19.4 µg/m³ | 24.8 µg/m³ | −5.4 µg/m³ — better for Phnom Penh |
| Natural-hazard risk | 6.1/10 | 3.9/10 | +2.2/10 — better for Long Xuyên |
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 Long Xuyên →
Nearby cities
- Tân Châu, Vietnam 74.4
- Châu Đốc, Vietnam 74.4
- Tây Ninh, Vietnam 74.4
- Long Xuyên, Vietnam 74.4
- Cao Lãnh, Vietnam 74.4
- Sa Đéc, Vietnam 74.4
- Trang Bang, Vietnam 74.4
- Rạch Giá, Vietnam 74.4
See Phnom Penh on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →