# Is South Africa safe in 2026?

> South Africa scores 80.6/100 on the live safety index — generally safe. The main pressure on the score comes from crime, economy, political instability. The score has been stable for 23 days. The 24-hour AI forecast calls the trend stable (projected 80.6/100).

**Safety index:** 80.6 / 100 (higher is safer)
**Verdict band:** generally safe
**Active combat confirmed in the last 24h:** no
**Stable for:** 23 days
**Canonical:** https://safemap.ai/country/south-africa
**Generated:** 2026-09-01T04:13:17Z
**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 |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | 9.5 | 15 |
| Economy | 2.3 | 8 |
| Political instability | 3.5 | 15 |
| Natural disasters | 0.9 | 5 |
| Ecology | 0.1 | 1 |
| Public health | 0.2 | 3 |
| Military conflict | 2.2 | 30 |
| Nuclear risk | 0.4 | 12 |
| Internet freedom | 0.2 | 7 |
| Sanctions | 0.0 | 4 |

## 30-day trend

South Africa's score fell by −3.0 over the last 30 days (83.5 → 80.6).

Aug 3 · 83.5 → Sep 1 · 80.6

## Official travel advisory

**Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution.** The U.S. State Department places South Africa at Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution citing terrorism, kidnapping, unrest and crime. Our live index reads 80.6/100. That advisory was last revised May 27, 2025, 462 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.zaf.html), revised May 27, 2025. Levels run 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel). This is not travel advice.

## Latest recorded events

- 2026-08-29T12:17:09Z — Scientists probe if herpes virus is killing sardines off South Africa — ecology, severity 3/10 — South China Morning Post — https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3365714/scientists-probe-if-herpes-virus-killing-sardines-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed
- 2026-08-11T12:52:58Z — Late snow blankets parts of southern Africa as winter nears its end — disaster, severity 2/10 — Al Jazeera — https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/8/11/late-snow-blankets-parts-of-southern-africa-as-winter-nears-its-end?traffic_source=rss
- 2026-08-11T08:35:05Z — Johannesburg's water crisis angers voters, drives rich off-grid — economy, severity 3/10 — Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/johannesburgs-water-crisis-angers-voters-drives-rich-off-grid-2026-08-11/
- 2026-08-06T14:15:02Z — South African clothing factories struggle after migrant workers flee — economy, severity 3/10 — Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/south-african-clothing-factories-struggle-after-migrant-workers-flee-2026-08-06/
- 2026-08-05T15:06:28Z — South Africa plans new rules on ex-leaders' foreign trips after Zuma's visit to India - Jacob Zuma was pictured with a businessmen allegedly at the heart of a corruption scandal in South Africa — political, severity 3/10 — BBC News — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1e14lj7vg7o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- 2026-08-03T16:19:21Z — South African coalition party goes to court over law that angered Trump — political, severity 2/10 — Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-african-coalition-party-goes-court-over-law-that-angered-trump-2026-08-03/

## 24-hour forecast

Trend **stable**, projected score 80.6/100, generated 2026-08-31T23:02:31Z.

Scattered economic and ecological concerns lack an immediate nationwide security shock.

## Compared with nearby countries

| Country | Score | vs South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa (this country) | 80.6 | — |
| Lesotho | 80.9 | +0.4 |
| Botswana | 92.4 | +11.8 |
| Eswatini | 79.1 | −1.4 |
| Namibia | 90.8 | +10.2 |
| Zimbabwe | 74.2 | −6.3 |

## How this number is computed

https://safemap.ai/methodology.md

## Citation

Global Safety Map, safemap.ai — safety index 80.6/100 for South Africa, as of 2026-09-01T04:13:17Z.

## 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