Travel Risk Atlas

Iraq

Western Asia · Capital Baghdad

Each opens that government's own advisory for Iraq — the authoritative version, updated far faster than this page.

70.0 High risk
Atlas Risk Score · 200th safest of 220

Score raised to 70 by the advisory rule: governments currently advise against travel here. Why

a large brick building sitting on top of a hill
Photo: Zanyar Ibrahim / Unsplash

Where the risk actually is

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.

Al-Anbar — Essential travel onlyAl-Basrah — Essential travel onlyAl-Muthannia — Essential travel onlyAl-Qādisiyyah — Essential travel onlyAn-Najaf — Essential travel onlyArbil — Essential travel onlyAs-Sulaymaniyah — Essential travel onlyKirkuk — Do not travelBabil — Essential travel onlyBaghdad — Essential travel onlyDhi-Qar — Essential travel onlyDihok — Essential travel onlyDiyala — Do not travelKarbala' — Essential travel onlyMaysan — Essential travel onlyNinawa — Do not travelSalah al-Din — Do not travelWasit — Essential travel onlyLake HabbaniyahBuhayrat ath ThartharLake RazazahLake UrmiaLake Hammar1. Western Anbar — Do not travel12. Sadr City, Baghdad — Do not travel23. Iranian and Gulf borders — Do not travel3
What governments advise Do not travel Essential travel only Localised warning — see the notes below

This map reads stronger than the world map's colour, and both are right. The world map shades Iraq by its Atlas Risk Score — 70, High — which blends government advice with crime, health, roads and natural hazards. This map shows the advice alone, and the strongest level anywhere in Iraq is “do not travel”.

What the warnings actually cover

  • Salah al-DinDo not travel. Do-not-travel to Ninawa, Kirkuk and Salah al-Din, and to Diyala apart from Baqubah city.
  • 1
    Western AnbarDo not travel. Do-not-travel to Anbar west of Ramadi city; the rest of the province is essential-travel-only.
  • 2
    Sadr City, BaghdadDo not travel. Do-not-travel to Sadr City specifically. The rest of Baghdad province is essential-travel-only.
  • 3
    Iranian and Gulf bordersDo not travel. Do-not-travel within 5km of the Iranian border in Wasit, Maysan and Basra, and within 5km of the Saudi and Kuwaiti borders.

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.

What drives the score

Each pillar is scored 0–100 against every other country. Longer bar = more risk.

Conflict & terrorism
15% of score
89/100
199th of 220
Official advisories
25% of score
87/100
202nd of 220
Road & transport
10% of score
71/100
181st of 220
Political stability
10% of score
70/100
207th of 220
Natural hazards
10% of score · mainly flooding, drought, earthquakes
57/100
188th of 220
Crime
15% of score
54/100
179th of 220
Health & medical
15% of score
36/100
133rd of 220
Women's safety
not in the score
39/100

Biggest factor here: conflict & terrorism. Armed conflict, political violence and terrorism exposure.

Practical facts

The things worth knowing before you land.

Emergency number
112
From mobiles. Police 104 · Ambulance 122
Currency
IQD ع.د
Languages
Arabic
Aramaic, Sorani
Visa (EU passport)
Visa on arrival
US: Visa on arrival · UK: Visa on arrival
Population
47.0m
World Bank 2025
Capital
Baghdad
Driving
On the right
27.3 road deaths per 100k
Power
Type C, D, G
220-240V
Safely managed water
60%
Patchy — many households lack it · of residents, not a tap-water verdict
Dialling code
+964
GDP per capita
$5k
A rough guide to price levels
Visitors a year
892k
International arrivals, 2013

When to go

Average daytime high and nightly low for Baghdad, over 2010-2019. Bars are rainfall; the colour band is how hot the days get.

Mildest and driest around February to April, and November to December.

Daytime high mild warm hot extreme heat
Top figure is the average daytime high, below it the average nightly low, and millimetres of rain under each bar. Figures are the average daytime high; bar heights are the month's rainfall. Shaded months are the mild, drier ones. Source: NASA POWER daily observations, 2010-2019, public domain.

Sources for this page

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 Iraq:

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.