Is Ubon Ratchathani safe?
Thailand · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04
Ubon Ratchathani is a city in Thailand, home to about 192k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,606 of 6,168, with a safety score of 68.3 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.
Emergency 191 (ambulance, fire, police) · Ambulance 1669 · Fire 199 · Police 191 · Tourist police 1155
- UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-06-30.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Thailand are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Ubon Ratchathani really?
No published homicide figure exists for Ubon Ratchathani itself, so the national rate stands in: Thailand recorded 4.8 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. Thailand's income inequality is middling (Gini 33.3) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates Thailand at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2026-07-06). 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 Thailand
Terrorism in Thailand · Political situation · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Violent crime · Sexual assault · Drink spiking, alcohol and assaults · Methanol poisoning · Bank card fraud · Job scams · Criticising the Thai monarchy · Images on social media · Buying property in Thailand · Drones · Gambling – playing cards · +16 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Thailand — country-level, not specific to Ubon Ratchathani. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 4.8 /100knational rate, 2011
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 33.3country, 2024
- Human development
- HDI 0.798country, 2023
- Income
- $25,570/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 192kurban centre · 3,488/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 32.2 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 54/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 53/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 33/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 4.9/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.76Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 23.5 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.5 doctors /1k2.4 hospital beds per 1,000
- Malaria
- 1 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in Thailand
- Flood
- 9.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 5.8/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 5.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 1.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 1.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Thailand as a whole, not Ubon Ratchathani specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Thailand (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in Thailand; 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 Ubon Ratchathani that gives 68.3/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Ubon Ratchathani compared with Pakse
| Measure | Ubon Ratchathani | Pakse | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 68.3 | 80.0 | −11.7 — better for Pakse |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 4.8 /100k | no data | — |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 33.3 | 34.7 | −1.4 — better for Ubon Ratchathani |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.798 | 0.617 | +0.181 — better for Ubon Ratchathani |
| Road deaths | 32.2 /100k | 17.9 /100k | +14.3 /100k — better for Pakse |
| Rule of law | 53/100 | 44/100 | +9/100 — better for Ubon Ratchathani |
| Corruption perceptions | 33/100 | 34/100 | −1/100 — better for Pakse |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 23.5 µg/m³ | 26.0 µg/m³ | −2.5 µg/m³ — better for Ubon Ratchathani |
| Natural-hazard risk | 4.9/10 | 3.7/10 | +1.2/10 — better for Pakse |
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 Pakse →
Nearby cities
- Pakse, Laos 80.0
- Anlong Veng, Cambodia 74.1
- Siem Reap, Cambodia 74.1
- Khon Kaen 68.3
- Battambang, Cambodia 74.1
- Nakhon Ratchasima 68.3
- Poipet, Cambodia 74.1
- Huế, Vietnam 74.4
See Ubon Ratchathani on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →