🇿🇦 Republic of South Africa (iNingizimu Afrika)
Visiting: Dangerous
South Africa is not a place to go unprepared. Violent crime is the defining risk: homicide ranks 178th, one of the highest rates in the world, and the roads are extremely deadly, placed 161st. On the other side of the ledger, LGBT rights are solid, ranking 32nd, and freedom is well protected, at 56th. Women's safety is fair, ranking 100th, and there is significant exposure to conflict, at 138th.
Homicide
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
South Africa: 37.5
Ranked 3rd in the world for the highest homicide rate.
Why this rank?
Thirty-seven killings per 100,000 people a year is nearly four times the ten that marks the deadliest countries.
Is it safe to visit?
Take it seriously. Among the world's highest rates.
Why we updated the score?
The UN builds its figure by adding up the police's four quarters. We did the same for 2025, a year ahead of it, and got 24,244, down a tenth.
Road Fatalities
Road-traffic deaths per 100,000 people per year — lower is better.
South Africa: 24.5
Ranked 20th in the world for the deadliest roads.
Why this rank?
Twenty-four and a half deaths per 100,000 people a year is well above the world average of fifteen but short of double it.
Is it safe to visit?
Not safe. Four in ten deaths are people on foot, so walking beside traffic is as much of a risk as being in a car.
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.
South Africa: 2.73
Ranked 43rd most conflict-affected country in the world.
Why this rank?
24 people died in fighting inside South Africa in the year to July 2026, 19 of them civilians killed on purpose.
Is it safe to visit?
Take care in the Western Cape and Gauteng, where an armed group killed 14 civilians in the year to July 2026 and the police killed five more. Gang killings are counted under Homicide, not here.
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.
South Africa: 7.18
Ranked 56th freest country in the world.
Why this rank?
In South Africa the lowest is due process at 2. Total 20 of 24.
Is it safe to visit?
A constitutional democracy with robust media and civil society. Due process protections are weak, and gender-based violence is a severe problem. Speaking freely is not the risk here.
LGBT Rights
LGBT equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
South Africa: 6.7
Ranked 32nd most equal in the world for LGBT people.
Why this rank?
It is the only African country with same-sex marriage, legal since 2006, under the world's first constitution to ban discrimination by orientation. The law index scores 77, public opinion 57.
Is it safe to visit?
Fine in the cities, which have open, established scenes. Violence against lesbians and trans people in the townships is a documented problem.
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.
South Africa: 6.99
Ranked 81st least safe country in the world for women.
Why this rank?
The courts rate well and violence at home is low. Only a quarter of women feel safe walking alone at night, and under half puts a country in orange.
Is it safe to visit?
Take care as a woman travelling alone in South Africa.