Most Dangerous Countries in the World Right Now

How the Global Risk Ranking Is Built

This ranking measures government advisory warnings rather than crime statistics. We gather updates from the US Department of State, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the Government of Canada to compute an ordered comparison across borders.

The ordering sorts by the United States advisory posture first, followed by the breadth of United Kingdom warnings, and then Canadian guidance. A country where all three governments warn against every visit sits at the top of the list. When evaluating places, check our breakdown of how we rate safety to understand how these feeds combine.

• Daily automated updates redraw the order whenever an advisory level changes.

Destinations Facing the Highest Level of Travel Warnings

At the time of writing, eleven destinations face total travel warnings across all three assessing governments. The list begins with Yemen, Syria, and South Sudan. In each of these nations, the UK FCDO advises against all travel to the whole country, Canada urges travelers to avoid all travel, and the US issues its highest warning.

The remaining destinations subject to this unanimous stance are Russia, Niger, Mali, Iran, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Belarus, and Afghanistan.

Just below this group sits North Korea, where Canada urges avoiding all travel while the UK advises against all but essential travel. Other high-risk destinations under the highest US warning include the West Bank, Ukraine, Sudan, Somalia, Myanmar, Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), Central African Republic, Chad, and Uganda. In these destinations, UK warnings often target parts of the country rather than the entire country.

Where Advisory Assessments Disagree on Country Risk

Government assessments frequently diverge regarding the severity and geographic scope of threats. For Uganda, the United States issues its highest warning tier, whereas the United Kingdom publishes no areas advised against, and Canada advises travelers to avoid non-essential travel. This creates a noticeable gap between American guidance and British instructions.

A similar dynamic appears with Chad. The United States maintains its highest warning level for Chad, while the UK advises against all travel to parts of the country, and Canada advises travelers to avoid non-essential travel rather than all travel entirely. For the West Bank, the US posts its highest warning category, the UK advises against all travel to parts of the country and against all but essential travel to other parts, and Canada publishes no advisory.

Lower in the table, Venezuela presents an inverse scenario. The United States assigns its second-highest advisory level, but Canada advises avoiding all travel, and the UK advises against all travel to parts of the country alongside all but essential travel to others. For the United Arab Emirates, the US uses its second-highest warning, Canada urges avoiding non-essential travel, and the UK advises against no areas at all. You can use our tool to compare destinations side by side when planning around these conflicting assessments.

Using Regional Advisory Warnings for Practical Trip Planning

In countries such as Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Jordan, Israel, and Ethiopia, the United States maintains its second-highest advisory level, yet the UK FCDO designates clear regional boundaries. For several of these destinations, the UK advises against all travel to parts of the country and against all but essential travel to other parts.

In destinations like Colombia, Guatemala, and Tanzania, the UK advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country, while Canada advises travelers to exercise a high degree of caution. Rwanda displays an even wider spread. The US places Rwanda in its second-highest category, the UK advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country, and Canada advises exercising normal security precautions.

Before departure, inspect the latest advisory changes to see whether regional boundary lines have expanded. You can also download our free travel safety checklist.

• Open the US, UK and Canada advisories for the country and read which areas each one names.
• Review whether an advisory covers an entire nation or targets isolated administrative territories.
• Follow the strictest published warning when any assessing government highlights your arrival zone.

Who This Ranking Does Not Serve

This ranking does not serve travelers heading to one region of a larger country, such as part of Colombia or Tanzania, where the UK FCDO advice covers only parts of the country. A country’s rank reflects its strictest area, so read the advisory for the area you will visit. If you are choosing a holiday instead, start from the safest places to travel right now.

What Would Change the Risk Order of These Nations

Our assessment order changes immediately if the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada lowers an advisory level or contracts the geographic zones subject to travel warnings. Before you book, open the US advisory for your destination from the list above and read the areas and reasons it gives.