Travel Risk Atlas

Somalia

Eastern Africa · Capital Mogadishu

Level 4 United States Do Not Travel FCDO United Kingdom Against all travel to parts Red Netherlands Red — do not travel Level 4 Canada Avoid all travel AA Germany Reisewarnung — advises against travel

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

84.7 Extreme risk
Atlas Risk Score · 220th safest of 220
a rocky beach with a building in the background
Photo: Saacid Ahmed / 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.

Bakool — Do not travelBanaadir — Do not travelBari — Do not travelBay — Do not travelGalguduud — Do not travelGedo — Do not travelHiiraan — Do not travelJubbada Dhexe — Do not travelJubbada Hoose — Do not travelMudug — Do not travelNugaal — Do not travelShabeellaha Dhexe — Do not travelShabeellaha Hoose — Do not travelLake GemeriLake Abbe1. Awdal, Maroodijeh and Sahil — Essential travel only1
What governments advise Do not travel Localised warning — see the notes below

What the warnings actually cover

  • Whole country — Do not travel. Advice is against all travel to Somalia including Somaliland, apart from three north-western regions. Terrorism and armed conflict; consular support is severely limited and never in person.
  • 1
    Awdal, Maroodijeh and Sahil — Essential travel only. These three Somaliland regions, including Hargeisa, are rated essential-travel-only rather than do-not-travel — the least restricted part of the country.

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.

Official advisories
25% of score
93/100
212th of 220
Conflict & terrorism
15% of score
91/100
204th of 220
Health & medical
15% of score
89/100
216th of 220
Crime
15% of score
85/100
219th of 220
Political stability
10% of score
80/100
219th of 220
Road & transport
10% of score
71/100
182nd of 220
Natural hazards
10% of score · mainly drought, flooding, tsunami
66/100
208th of 220
Women's safety
not in the score
15/100

Biggest factor here: official advisories. What the US, UK and Dutch governments currently tell their own citizens about travelling here.

Practical facts

The things worth knowing before you land.

Emergency number
No single number
Arrange help through your hotel, fixer or embassy — there is no reliable public line
Currency
SOS Sh
Languages
Arabic
Somali
Visa (EU passport)
Visa on arrival
US: Visa on arrival · UK: Visa on arrival
Population
19.7m
World Bank 2025
Capital
Mogadishu
Driving
On the right
27.4 road deaths per 100k
Power
Type C
220-240V
Basic water access
75%
Mostly, but not everywhere · of residents, not a tap-water verdict
Dialling code
+252
GDP per capita
$661
A rough guide to price levels
Malaria risk
9.6/10
INFORM exposure score — see a travel clinic

When to go

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

Mildest and driest around All year.

Daytime high hot
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.

Compare with neighbours

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 Somalia:

CDC Travelers' HealthTravelHealthPro (NHS/UKHSA)

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.