South America · Capital Brasília
Each opens that government's own advisory for Brazil — the authoritative version, updated far faster than this page.
Brazil is enormous and its risk varies as much as its geography. The consistent pattern for visitors is opportunistic robbery in big cities, which is common, frequently armed, and almost always ends without injury if you hand things over.
Local practice is to carry a small amount of cash to give up, keep phones out of sight in the street, and use ride-hailing rather than walking at night.
Each region is coloured by the advice that applies to most of it, drawn by hand from the wording of all five government advisories. Numbered markers flag localised warnings — usually a border strip or remote interior — that cover only a small part of an otherwise lower-risk region.
Overseas territories, shown separately so the main map stays readable
A numbered marker warns about the small area described in its note — the rest of that region carries the base advice. Mapped by hand from the official wording in July 2026; always check the current advisory before you book.
Each pillar is scored 0–100 against every other country. Longer bar = more risk.
Biggest factor here: conflict & terrorism. Armed conflict, political violence and terrorism exposure.
The things worth knowing before you land.
Average daytime high and nightly low for Brasília, over 2010-2019. Bars are rainfall; the colour band is how hot the days get.
Mildest and driest around April to August.
Patterns reported repeatedly by travellers and local police. None of this is about individual businesses — it's about set-ups you can learn to spot in seconds.
A victim is held for a few hours and driven between ATMs to withdraw the daily maximum, sometimes across midnight to get two days' limits.
How to avoid it: Use ride-hailing apps rather than hailing cars in the street, and set a low daily ATM withdrawal limit before you travel.
A beach vendor or bar brings a card terminal, and the amount entered has extra zeros; or the machine 'fails' and a second attempt double-charges you.
How to avoid it: Read the amount on the terminal screen before you tap or enter your PIN, and enable transaction alerts on your bank app.
Informal 'favela tours' entering communities during active police operations, putting visitors in the middle of shootouts.
How to avoid it: If you go at all, use an operator registered with the tourism authority that checks conditions the same day. Never enter on your own or by motorbike taxi.
Sources Rio de Janeiro official tourism
Specific places that come up again and again — either in government advisories or in traveller reports. Everywhere else in Brazil is not automatically fine, but these are the areas worth a plan.
Gun battles between police and armed groups occur with no warning. Stray-bullet casualties are a recognised category in Rio's statistics.
Lively nightlife with a high street-robbery rate once bars empty.
Open drug scene with high robbery risk; easily avoided.
Several governments advise against travel within a set distance of these borders.
Brazilian police and residents give consistent advice: do not resist, do not make sudden movements, hand over the phone or bag. Robberies turn violent when victims resist. Carrying a cheap secondary phone and a small amount of cash to surrender is common practice.
Take almost nothing to the beach — no bag, no phone, minimal cash. This is what locals do in Rio and Salvador, and it removes the entire problem. Rip currents are also strong on many Atlantic beaches.
Vaccinations, malaria and outbreaks. This atlas does not give medical advice — it is personal, it changes, and it is the one thing worth getting from a doctor. Both national services publish current advice for Brazil:
Check the official advisory before you book. This page reflects data as of August 2026. Advisories change without warning, and only your own government's advice affects your travel insurance.