Is Sumgayit safe?
Azerbaijan · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04
Sumgayit is a city in Azerbaijan, home to about 423k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 2,118 of 6,168, with a safety score of 77.1 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.
Emergency Ambulance 103 · Fire 101 · Police 102
- US State Department: Reconsider travelOfficial travel advisory level 3 of 4 for Azerbaijan, updated 2026-04-27.
- UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of this country3 named areas - see "areas to avoid" below.
Areas the UK FCDO advises against visiting country
- Azerbaijan-Armenia border
- South-western Azerbaijan (those regions affected by conflict in 2020 and 2023)
- The districts (‘rayons’) of Kelbajar, Lachin, Qubadli, Zengilan, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Khojavand, Shusha, Khojali, Khankendi, Aghdam and Tartar
Named in the official UK travel advice for Azerbaijan (in full or in part - the advisory lists exact boundaries and exceptions). These are country-level warnings and may be far from Sumgayit.
How safe is Sumgayit really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Sumgayit recorded 2.3 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2020 - close to the global city median. Azerbaijan is also one of the more equal societies in the dataset (Gini 26.6), and low inequality is the strongest structural predictor of low city violence in this data.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Azerbaijan at level 3 of 4 - "Reconsider travel" (updated 2026-04-27). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of this country, naming 3 specific areas - listed above with the official advisory linked for exact boundaries and exceptions. 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 Azerbaijan
Terrorism in Azerbaijan · Armenia-Azerbaijan tensions · Dealing with officials · Bank card fraud · Personal ID · Dress code · Ramadan · Smoking restrictions · Illegal drugs · Using cameras and drones in sensitive locations · LGBT+ travellers · Road travel · Inter-country road travel · Licences and permits · +4 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Azerbaijan — country-level, not specific to Sumgayit. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 2.3 /100kcity-measured, 2020
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 26.6country, 2005
- Human development
- HDI 0.789country, 2023
- Income
- $25,430/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 423kurban centre · 4,917/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 6.7 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 63/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 49/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 30/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 4.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.65Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 23.7 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 58%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 3.2 doctors /1k3.7 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2023 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Azerbaijan
- Earthquake
- 7.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 6.5/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 5.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Azerbaijan as a whole, not Sumgayit specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Azerbaijan (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Azerbaijan; 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 Sumgayit that gives 77.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Sumgayit compared with Baku
| Measure | Sumgayit | Baku | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 77.1 | 77.1 | ±0.0 |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 2.3 /100k | 2.3 /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 Azerbaijan, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Baku →
Nearby cities
- Baku 77.1
- Şirvan 78.1
- Derbent, Russia 59.4
- Lankaran 76.2
- Mingachevir 61.3
- Ganja 66.3
- Ardabil, Iran 66.1
- Sareyn, Iran 69.9
See Sumgayit on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →