Is Siem Reap safe?
Cambodia · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04
Siem Reap is a city in Cambodia, home to about 353k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 2,946 of 6,168, with a safety score of 74.1 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.
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 Siem Reap really?
No published homicide figure exists for Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap. 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
- 353kurban centre · 5,268/km²
- Nearest airport
- 39 kmSiem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI)
Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).
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 Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap that gives 74.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Siem Reap compared with Phnom Penh
| Measure | Siem Reap | Phnom Penh | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 74.1 | 74.1 | ±0.0 |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 1.8 /100k | 1.8 /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 Cambodia, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Phnom Penh →
Nearby cities
- Battambang 74.1
- Anlong Veng 74.1
- Poipet 74.1
- Tha Chang, Thailand 68.3
- Phnom Penh 74.1
- Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand 68.3
- Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand 68.3
- Pakse, Laos 80.0
See Siem Reap on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →