# Is North Korea safe in 2026?

> North Korea scores 32.4/100 on the live safety index — high-risk. The main pressure on the score comes from nuclear risk, sanctions, internet freedom. The score has been stable for 12 days. The 24-hour AI forecast calls the trend stable (projected 31.7/100).

**Safety index:** 32.4 / 100 (higher is safer)
**Verdict band:** high-risk
**Active combat confirmed in the last 24h:** no
**Stable for:** 12 days
**Canonical:** https://safemap.ai/country/north-korea
**Generated:** 2026-09-01T03:54:28Z
**License:** CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — reuse with attribution to safemap.ai and the timestamp of the numbers.
**Contact:** contact@safemap.ai

## Threat breakdown

| Category | Current | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear risk | 11.9 | 12 |
| Sanctions | 3.9 | 4 |
| Internet freedom | 6.8 | 7 |
| Political instability | 14.2 | 15 |
| Economy | 5.4 | 8 |
| Military conflict | 16.7 | 30 |
| Crime | 6.2 | 15 |
| Natural disasters | 1.6 | 5 |
| Public health | 0.8 | 3 |
| Ecology | 0.1 | 1 |

## 30-day trend

North Korea's score rose by +1.0 over the last 30 days (31.4 → 32.4).

Aug 3 · 31.4 → Sep 1 · 32.4

## Official travel advisory

**Level 4 — Do Not Travel.** The U.S. State Department places North Korea at Level 4 — Do Not Travel. Our live index reads 32.4/100. That advisory was last revised Apr 29, 2025, 490 days ago; the index above is recomputed continuously from current reporting.

Source: U.S. Department of State (https://travel.state.gov/content/tsg_aem/us/en/home/international-travel/travel-advisories/destination.prk.html), revised Apr 29, 2025. Levels run 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel). This is not travel advice.

## Latest recorded events

- 2026-08-31T05:31:52Z — North Korea says hostile US policy unchanged, nuclear arms to keep growing — nuclear, severity 3/10 — Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/north-korea-says-hostile-us-policy-unchanged-nuclear-arms-keep-growing-2026-08-31/
- 2026-08-20T08:35:06Z — North Korea fires possible ballistic missile toward sea — military, severity 3/10 — Deutsche Welle — https://www.dw.com/en/north-korea-fires-possible-ballistic-missile-toward-sea/a-78440280?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-xml-mrss
- 2026-08-16T04:33:49Z — South Korea fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed demarcation line, Yonhap says — military, severity 2/10 — The Straits Times — https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/south-korea-fired-warning-shots-after-north-korean-soldiers-crossed-demarcation-line-yonhap-says
- 2026-08-12T09:47:13Z — N. Korea vows to secure 'unparalleled' retaliatory capability over S. Korea's nuclear submarine push — political, severity 2/10 — UPI News — https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/08/12/North-Korea-unparalleled-retaliatory-capability-nuclear-submarine/7621786527355/
- 2026-08-12T07:57:12Z — North Korea resumes naval base construction as it modernises fleet — political, severity 2/10 — The Straits Times — https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/north-korea-resumes-naval-base-construction-as-it-modernises-fleet
- 2026-08-12T06:12:11Z — North Korea missile launch hints at upgraded weapons exports to Russia for Ukraine war — military, severity 3/10 — South China Morning Post — https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3363744/north-korea-missile-launch-hints-upgraded-weapons-exports-russia-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed

## 24-hour forecast

Trend **stable**, projected score 31.7/100, generated 2026-08-31T23:01:53Z.

Repeated missile activity and hostile nuclear rhetoric signal continued escalation.

## Compared with nearby countries

| Country | Score | vs North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| North Korea (this country) | 32.4 | — |
| South Korea | 84.3 | +51.9 |
| Japan | 91.1 | +58.7 |
| Taiwan | 74.3 | +41.9 |
| Mongolia | 89.5 | +57.1 |
| China | 68.3 | +35.9 |

## How this number is computed

https://safemap.ai/methodology.md

## Citation

Global Safety Map, safemap.ai — safety index 32.4/100 for North Korea, as of 2026-09-01T03:54:28Z.

## License

The data is licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You may reuse, redistribute and build on these numbers, including commercially, provided you attribute Global Safety Map (safemap.ai) and carry the timestamp of the figures you quote. A score without its timestamp is not attributed data — it is a stale number with our name on it.

Citation format: Global Safety Map, safemap.ai — safety index {score}/100 for {country}, as of {date}.

## Contact

Questions, partnerships or data-removal requests: contact@safemap.ai