Solo female travel is booming. Safeture reports that female solo travel has grown by more than 60% over three years and now makes up 71% of all solo trips worldwide.[1] Most of those trips go well. Still, a handful of countries carry risks that no amount of planning can offset.
This list ranks countries by the Georgetown Institute’s Women, Peace and Security Index for 2025/26. The index scores and ranks 181 countries on women’s wellbeing, using 13 indicators across inclusion, justice and security.[2] I’ve cross-checked each entry against the 2026 Global Peace Index and U.S. State Department advisories. The index measures women’s status, not tourist crime, so it’s a proxy for risk. It isn’t a precise count of incidents involving visitors.
1. Afghanistan
The Women, Peace and Security Index puts Afghanistan last, with Denmark leading.[2] Afghanistan scores about 0.28, against 0.94 for Denmark.[3] It also sits among the ten least peaceful countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index.[4] For a woman traveling alone, the legal environment matters as much as the security picture.
The State Department’s Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory for Afghanistan was most recently issued on February 20, 2026.[5] One travel-risk summary notes that the U.S. government can’t intervene inside the country because no functioning U.S. embassy or consulate operates there.[6] Another source says women are required to cover fully and travel with male guardians, which limits independent movement.[7] Solo travel here is effectively not viable.
2. Yemen
Yemen ranks 180th of 181 on the 2025/26 index, with a score of about 0.32.[8] It also appears among the bottom ten countries on the 2026 Global Peace Index.[4] Years of war have left little infrastructure that a visitor could rely on.
The U.S. advisory is Level 4, last updated December 19, 2025.[5] Level 4 advisories cover risks such as kidnapping, war, disease outbreaks, natural disasters or wrongful detention.[5] Georgetown’s researchers do note that Yemen and some other low-ranking countries are making notable progress on various indicators.[9] That progress hasn’t changed the travel picture.
3. Central African Republic
The Central African Republic ranks 179th on the women’s index, with a score of roughly 0.36.[8] It is one of seven countries that have stayed in the bottom dozen since the index began in 2017/18.[9] That’s a long record of persistent insecurity.
The State Department’s Level 4 advisory, issued January 15, 2026, cites unrest, crime, health risks, kidnapping or hostage taking, and terrorism.[10] Safeture also includes the country on its 2026 list of 29 countries to watch for female travelers.[1] Few visitors go at all, so help is scarce if something goes wrong.
4. Syria
Syria ranks 178th on the 2025/26 index, with a score of about 0.36.[8] It is also among the bottom ten on the 2026 Global Peace Index.[4] Those results reflect years of fragmented control and displacement.
The U.S. Level 4 advisory for Syria was most recently updated on August 7, 2026.[5] Syria is also on Safeture’s 2026 watch list for female travelers.[1] A solo woman would face difficult conditions on the ground and very limited consular backup.
5. Sudan
Sudan ranks 177th on the women’s index, scoring about 0.40.[8] In the 2026 Global Peace Index, Sudan is the second least peaceful country, after Russia.[11] Both rankings point to a country in prolonged crisis.
The State Department lists Sudan at Level 4, with the advisory issued May 15, 2026.[5] Safeture also flags Sudan among its countries to watch for female travelers.[1] In an active conflict zone, the risks are shared by every traveler, though women face added exposure to gender-based violence.
6. Haiti
Haiti ranks 176th on the women’s index, scoring about 0.40.[8] It’s the only country in the western hemisphere in this group of ten. The danger here comes mostly from gangs, not conventional war.
The U.S. Level 4 advisory, last issued July 10, 2026,[5] is tied to a collapse of public security, armed gangs controlling major urban areas, and rampant violent crime and kidnappings.[6] Haiti was once a tropical holiday hotspot, and travel there is no longer advised because of gang violence.[10] Reaching the country at all is now a challenge in itself.
7. Democratic Republic of the Congo
The DR Congo ranks 175th on the 2025/26 women’s index, scoring roughly 0.41.[8] The 2026 Global Peace Index puts it in 161st place, the third least peaceful of 163 countries.[12] The country is another that has stayed in the bottom dozen since the index began.
The State Department issued its Level 4 advisory on July 15, 2026.[5] Safeture also lists the Democratic Republic of Congo among its 2026 countries to watch.[1] Conflict in parts of the country is the main concern, so a solo trip would be hard to defend.
8. Burundi
Burundi ranks 174th on the 2025/26 women’s index, with a score of about 0.41.[8] It’s one of the seven countries that have remained in the bottom dozen since 2017/18.[9] Burundi isn’t on the U.S. Level 4 list I checked, so the picture here is less extreme than in the countries above.
Even so, Safeture includes Burundi among its 29 countries to watch for female travelers in 2026.[1] The index data points to deep, long-running gaps in women’s security and legal standing. Anyone considering a visit should check current official advice first and think hard about traveling without a local contact.
9. South Sudan
South Sudan ranks 173rd on the women’s index, scoring about 0.41.[8] It’s also on the list of seven countries that have stayed in the bottom dozen since the index began.[9] The 2026 Global Peace Index puts it 158th of 163 countries.[12]
The U.S. Level 4 advisory was issued May 17, 2026.[5] Safeture lists South Sudan among its countries to watch for female travelers.[1] Weak infrastructure and ongoing instability make it a poor choice for anyone traveling alone.
10. Myanmar
Myanmar completes the bottom ten, ranking 172nd with a score of about 0.44.[8] Safeture names it among the highest-risk countries in the Asia-Pacific region, alongside Afghanistan, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea.[1] Women’s security is under pressure from the long-running conflict.
The U.S. advisory is Level 4, citing unrest, crime, health risks and wrongful detention.[10] Because of the conflict, visitors can’t count on consistent help from their own governments. For solo women, a trip here carries a risk that careful behavior can’t remove.
These ten countries share a pattern. Georgetown’s researchers found that in the dozen worst-performing countries, fewer than half of women feel safe in their communities, and almost three in four live within 50 kilometers of armed conflict.[9] Nearly all of them also carry the highest U.S. warning level, which most standard travel insurance policies exclude[13], so medical evacuation costs could fall on you.
Other rankings use different yardsticks. One that focuses on everyday safety ranks South Africa as the most dangerous for solo female travelers, noting that only 25% of women there feel safe walking alone at night.[14] The same list also flags Mexico, where about a third of women report feeling safe walking alone at night.[14] Those places are open to tourists, and many women travel there with preparation and caution. The ten above are different, because the advisories and index data point to risks of a much more severe kind. Check current government advice before you book, since these assessments change.
