Is Raqqa safe?
Syria · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04
Raqqa is a city in Syria, home to about 237k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,601 of 6,168, with a safety score of 57.9 out of 100, which lands it in the middle band of the ranking.
- Armed conflict nearbyUCDP recorded 707 deaths from organized violence within 100 km in 2022-2024 (276 events). Crime figures do not capture war risk.
- US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for Syria, updated 2025-12-10.
- UK FCDO advises against all travel to this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-09-02.
- Same-sex activity criminalizedLaw on the books in Syria as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.
Deadliest recorded locations nearby
- Al-Rasafah desert23 deaths · 1 event
- the Tishrin Dam and Qaraqozak Bridge in eastern Aleppo countryside.23 deaths · 1 event
- Al-Sabkha area in eastern Al-Raqqa countryside19 deaths · 1 event
UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of Raqqa, 2022-2024, at the locations the source itself names. Conflict deaths, not street crime.
How safe is Raqqa really?
No published homicide figure exists for Raqqa itself, so the national rate stands in: Syria recorded 2.1 homicides per 100,000 people in 2010 - close to the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Syria is also one of the more equal societies in the dataset (Gini 26.4), and low inequality is the strongest structural predictor of low city violence in this data.
Crime statistics are not the main story here: the Uppsala Conflict Data Program recorded 707 deaths from organized violence - war, armed conflict, militia or cartel fighting - within 100 km of Raqqa across 276 events in 2022-2024. That is active-conflict territory, and ordinary crime figures say nothing about it. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were Al-Rasafah desert (23 deaths), the Tishrin Dam and Qaraqozak Bridge in eastern Aleppo countryside. (23 deaths), Al-Sabkha area in eastern Al-Raqqa countryside (19 deaths).
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Syria at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2025-12-10). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to 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 Syria
Terrorism in Syria · Examples of previous significant attacks include: · Terrorist kidnap · Security situation · Political activity · Journalists in Syria · Unexploded Weapons · Basic services · Sanctions · Criminal kidnapping · Religion · Personal ID · Illegal drugs penalties · Money · +4 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Syria — country-level, not specific to Raqqa. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 2.1 /100knational rate, 2010
- Conflict deaths
- 707within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 26.4country, 2022
- Human development
- HDI 0.564country, 2023
- Income
- $4,740/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 237kurban centre · 6,974/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 14.9 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 25/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 26/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 15/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 7.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.36Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 32.1 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 1.5 doctors /1k1.4 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Syria
- Drought
- 8.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 7.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 6.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 2.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Syria as a whole, not Raqqa specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Syria (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.
All country-level figures shared by every city in Syria; 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 Raqqa that gives 57.9/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Raqqa compared with Şanlıurfa
| Measure | Raqqa | Şanlıurfa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 57.9 | 52.6 | +5.4 — better for Raqqa |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 2.1 /100k | 2.4 /100k | −0.4 /100k — better for Raqqa |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 707 | 284 | +423 — better for Şanlıurfa |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 26.4 | 43.7 | −17.3 — better for Raqqa |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.564 | 0.853 | −0.289 — better for Şanlıurfa |
| Road deaths | 14.9 /100k | 6.7 /100k | +8.2 /100k — better for Şanlıurfa |
| Rule of law | 26/100 | 42/100 | −16/100 — better for Şanlıurfa |
| Corruption perceptions | 15/100 | 31/100 | −16/100 — better for Şanlıurfa |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 32.1 µg/m³ | 26.4 µg/m³ | +5.7 µg/m³ — better for Şanlıurfa |
| Natural-hazard risk | 7.6/10 | 5.2/10 | +2.4/10 — better for Şanlıurfa |
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 Şanlıurfa →
Nearby cities
- Manbij 56.1
- Deir Ez Zor 56.6
- Şanlıurfa, Turkey 52.6
- Viranşehir, Turkey 53.7
- Nizip, Turkey 50.1
- Al-Hasakah 57.7
- Aleppo 54.6
- Gaziantep, Turkey 49.1
See Raqqa on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →