Is Wau safe?
South Sudan · Africa · data updated 2026-09-04
Wau is a city in South Sudan, home to about 140k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 5,865 of 6,168, with a safety score of 39.3 out of 100 - in the lower part of the ranking, and the numbers below explain why.
- US State Department: Do not travelOfficial travel advisory level 4 of 4 for South Sudan, updated 2026-05-16.
- UK FCDO advises against all travel to this countryOfficial UK government travel advice, updated 2026-08-25.
- Elevated homicide rate13.98 homicides per 100,000 per year (national rate), about 5× the global city median.
- Same-sex activity criminalizedLaw on the books in South Sudan as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.
Deadliest recorded locations nearby
- Rualbet36 deaths · 1 event
- Tharkueng payam of Jur River County26 deaths · 1 event
- Bulic area in Tonj5 deaths · 1 event
UCDP-recorded organized-violence deaths within 100 km of Wau, 2022-2024, at the locations the source itself names. Conflict deaths, not street crime.
How safe is Wau really?
No published homicide figure exists for Wau itself, so the national rate stands in: South Sudan recorded 14 homicides per 100,000 people in 2012 - roughly 5 times the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. South Sudan's income inequality is middling (Gini 44.0) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.
Wau also carries some conflict exposure: UCDP recorded 67 deaths from organized violence within 100 km across 4 events in 2022-2024 - a factor crime statistics alone would miss. The deadliest recorded locations in that radius were Rualbet (36 deaths), Tharkueng payam of Jur River County (26 deaths), Bulic area in Tonj (5 deaths).
What the travel advisories say
The US State Department currently rates South Sudan at level 4 of 4 - "Do not travel" (updated 2026-05-16). The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to 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 South Sudan
Terrorism in South Sudan · Political and security situation · If you are in South Sudan · Robbery and assault · Criminal kidnapping and violence against aid workers · Road checkpoints · Armed conflict · Landmines and unexploded weapons · Limited UK government support · Personal ID · Illegal drugs penalties · Using cameras · LGBT+ travellers · Money · +3 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for South Sudan — country-level, not specific to Wau. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 14 /100knational rate, 2012 · ~5× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 67within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 44.0country, 2016
- Human development
- HDI 0.388country, 2023
- Income
- $1,010/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 140kurban centre · 4,528/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 36.7 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 40/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 23/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 9/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 8.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.41Georgetown 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
- no dataof the population · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 0.0 doctors /1khospital beds: no data
- Malaria
- 254 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only
Natural hazards in South Sudan
- Flood
- 7.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 3.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 2.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe South Sudan as a whole, not Wau specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in South Sudan (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.
All country-level figures shared by every city in South Sudan; 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 Wau that gives 39.3/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Wau compared with Ad Da'ein
| Measure | Wau | Ad Da'ein | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 39.3 | 58.8 | −19.5 — better for Ad Da'ein |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 14 /100k | no data | — |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 67 | 81 | −14 — better for Wau |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 44.0 | 34.2 | +9.8 — better for Ad Da'ein |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.388 | 0.511 | −0.123 — better for Ad Da'ein |
| Road deaths | 36.7 /100k | 26.8 /100k | +9.9 /100k — better for Ad Da'ein |
| Rule of law | 23/100 | 26/100 | −3/100 — better for Ad Da'ein |
| Corruption perceptions | 9/100 | 14/100 | −5/100 — better for Ad Da'ein |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 23.7 µg/m³ | 37.6 µg/m³ | −13.9 µg/m³ — better for Wau |
| Natural-hazard risk | 8.3/10 | 7.8/10 | +0.5/10 — better for Ad Da'ein |
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 Ad Da'ein →
Nearby cities
- Rumbek 33.9
- Yambio 47.0
- Muglad, Sudan 53.5
- Adiela, Sudan 53.7
- Bor 41.2
- Malakal 40.0
- Abu Karinka, Sudan 58.7
- Ad Da'ein, Sudan 58.8
See Wau on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Africa → · Full travel briefings →