Is Sihanoukville safe?
Cambodia · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04
Sihanoukville is a city in Cambodia, home to about 105k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 2,950 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 Sihanoukville really?
No published homicide figure exists for Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville. 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
- 105kurban centre · 3,097/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 Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville that gives 74.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Sihanoukville compared with Phnom Penh
| Measure | Sihanoukville | 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
- Châu Đốc, Vietnam 74.4
- Phnom Penh 74.1
- Rạch Giá, Vietnam 74.4
- Tân Châu, Vietnam 74.4
- Long Xuyên, Vietnam 74.4
- Cao Lãnh, Vietnam 74.4
- Cà Mau, Vietnam 74.4
- Sa Đéc, Vietnam 74.4
See Sihanoukville on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →