Is Zambia safe in 2026?
Zambia scores 85.2/100 on the live safety index — very safe. The main pressure on the score comes from political instability, economy, crime. The 24-hour AI forecast calls the trend stable (projected 83.9/100).
85.2 /100very safe
30-day trend
Zambia's score fell by −7.6 over the last 30 days (92.8 → 85.2).
Threat breakdown
| Category | Pressure | Score / cap |
|---|---|---|
| Political instability | 5.0 / 15 | |
| Economy | 2.5 / 8 | |
| Crime | 4.0 / 15 | |
| Natural disasters | 1.2 / 5 | |
| Public health | 0.2 / 3 | |
| Internet freedom | 0.4 / 7 | |
| Ecology | 0.1 / 1 | |
| Military conflict | 1.3 / 30 | |
| Sanctions | 0.1 / 4 | |
| Nuclear risk | 0.0 / 12 |
Higher category scores mean more threat pressure; each category is capped by its weight in the 0–100 index. How scores are computed.
Official travel advisory
1 Exercise Normal Precautions
The U.S. State Department places Zambia at Level 1 — Exercise Normal Precautions. Our live index reads 85.2/100. That advisory was last revised Jul 31, 2023, 1128 days ago; the index above is recomputed continuously from current reporting.
Source: U.S. Department of State, revised Jul 31, 2023. Levels run 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel). This page is not travel advice.
Latest recorded events
- Zambia opposition leader Brian Mundubile charged with treason
- Zambian opposition leader in police custody: state media
- Zambia closes courts on last day to file election challenge - Reuters - Zambia closes courts on last day to file election challenge Reuters
- Top Zambian opposition figures arrested days after presidential vote
- Zambia Halts Presidential Election Vote Count Over Violence and Fraud Allegations
- Guy Scott, Who Caused a Stir as White Leader of Zambia, Dies at 82 - Two decades after the fall of apartheid in South Africa, he served briefly as Africa’s only white president.
24-hour forecast
Trend: stable · projected score 83.9/100 (generated )
Ongoing political arrests and election-related unrest are causing significant instability.
Compared with nearby countries
| Country | Score | 0–100 | vs Zambia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zambia | 85.2 | — | |
| Zimbabwe | 74.2 | −11.0 | |
| Malawi | 84.7 | −0.5 | |
| Mozambique | 65.6 | −19.7 | |
| Botswana | 92.4 | +7.2 | |
| Tanzania | 81.6 | −3.6 |