Is Udon Thani safe?
Thailand · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04
Udon Thani is a city in Thailand, home to about 139k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,611 of 6,168, with a safety score of 68.3 out of 100 - comfortably in the safer part of the ranking.
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 Udon Thani really?
No published homicide figure exists for Udon Thani 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 Udon Thani. 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
- 139kurban centre · 2,961/km²
- Nearest airport
- 2 kmUdon Thani International Airport (UTH) · also VTE, 69 km
Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).
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 Udon Thani 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 Udon Thani that gives 68.3/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Udon Thani compared with Vientiane
| Measure | Udon Thani | Vientiane | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 68.3 | 80.0 | −11.7 — better for Vientiane |
| 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 Udon Thani |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.798 | 0.617 | +0.181 — better for Udon Thani |
| Road deaths | 32.2 /100k | 17.9 /100k | +14.3 /100k — better for Vientiane |
| Rule of law | 53/100 | 44/100 | +9/100 — better for Udon Thani |
| Corruption perceptions | 33/100 | 34/100 | −1/100 — better for Vientiane |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 23.5 µg/m³ | 26.0 µg/m³ | −2.5 µg/m³ — better for Udon Thani |
| Natural-hazard risk | 4.9/10 | 3.7/10 | +1.2/10 — better for Vientiane |
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 Vientiane →
Nearby cities
- Vientiane, Laos 80.0
- Khon Kaen 68.3
- Phitsanulok 68.3
- Nakhon Ratchasima 68.3
- Ubon Ratchathani 68.3
- Vinh, Vietnam 74.4
- Nakhon Sawan 68.3
- Lampang 68.3
See Udon Thani on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →