🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo (Republíki ya Kongó Demokratíki)
Visiting: Dangerous
The Democratic Republic of the Congo carries serious safety risks. Conflict is the main concern: it ranks 176th, in the bottom twenty, and women's safety is extremely poor, placed 171st. Its best measures are only mid-range: LGBT rights are limited, at 110th, and road deaths are moderate, placed 118th. Freedom is tightly restricted, ranking 151st, and violent crime is common, at 155th.
Homicide
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Democratic Republic Congo: 12.4
Ranked 26th in the world for the highest homicide rate.
Why this rank?
Twelve killings per 100,000 people a year is over the ten that marks the deadliest countries.
Is it safe to visit?
A real risk for a visitor. The rate is twice the world average. No national count exists, so we used the WHO's estimate.
Road Fatalities
Road-traffic deaths per 100,000 people per year — lower is better.
Democratic Republic Congo: 16.3
Ranked 63rd in the world for the deadliest roads.
Why this rank?
Sixteen deaths per 100,000 people a year is just above the world average of fifteen.
Is it safe to visit?
Not safe, and half the deaths are people on foot — walking beside traffic is the bigger risk.
Conflict
Conflict deaths inside the country in the last twelve months, as recorded by the Uppsala conflict database, civilians killed on purpose, and any UN sanctions or court order over a war. The worst of those sets the colour. Lower is better.
Democratic Republic Congo: 4.81
Ranked 5th most conflict-affected country in the world.
Why this rank?
3,088 people died in fighting inside the Democratic Republic Congo in the year to July 2026, 1,763 of them civilians killed on purpose. The UN Security Council has sanctions on the country over its conflict.
Is it safe to visit?
Not safe in the east. North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri are at war, peace deals notwithstanding. Kinshasa is two thousand kilometres from the fighting.
Freedom
Six freedoms rated 0–4 by Freedom House — protest, speech, press, religion, movement and due process. The weakest rating sets the colour, and the total places the country inside it — higher is better.
Democratic Republic Congo: 2.63
Ranked 30th least free country in the world.
Why this rank?
In the Democratic Republic Congo due process is rated 0, meaning absent, so the courts offer no protection if anything goes wrong. Total 7 of 24.
Is it safe to visit?
Courts offer no protection, and physical security is tenuous. Government forces and armed rebel groups commit abuses, above all in the east, and basic civil liberties are shrinking.
LGBT Rights
LGBT equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Democratic Republic Congo: 2.2
Ranked 71st least equal in the world for LGBT people.
Why this rank?
No law criminalises same-sex acts, though indecency provisions get stretched to cover them. Public opinion scores 8 out of 100, one of the lowest anywhere.
Is it safe to visit?
Take care. Legal on paper, dangerous in practice, with arrests under other charges and hostility from the churches. Nothing is open.
Women's Safety
Women's safety — feeling safe out at night, political violence against women, a fair hearing in court, and how normal violence at home is, with the night figure setting a floor on the colour — higher is better.
Democratic Republic Congo: 3.63
Ranked 10th least safe country in the world for women.
Why this rank?
Partner violence in the past year hits 36 percent of women, the highest share recorded, and six in ten think wife-beating can be justified. The courts rate poorly, and attacks on women are recorded.
Is it safe to visit?
The Democratic Republic Congo is high risk for a woman travelling alone.