Travel safety comparison · Asia
Afghanistan vs Pakistan: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Afghanistan and Pakistan for 2026: risk scores, FCDO and US State Department advisories, drug law, women's safety, LGBTQ+ legal status, and the practical decision between the two.
Pakistan carries a materially lower safety risk than Afghanistan on the composite Warnely score: 66/100 against 89/100, a gap of 23 points. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Pakistan scores 3/5 against Afghanistan's 5/5. The US State Department currently carries a Level 4 advisory on Afghanistan and a Level 3 on Pakistan. Women's-safety rating differs: Afghanistan is Do Not Travel and Pakistan is Generally Safe. Drug law diverges sharply: Afghanistan carries a tier-severe regime against Pakistan's more permissive framework.
| 🇦🇫Afghanistan | 🇵🇰Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 89 / 100 | 66 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Do Not Travel | High Risk |
| UK FCDO advisory | avoid all travel to whole country | avoid all but essential travel to parts of country; avoid all travel to parts of country |
| US State Department advisory | Level 4 (Do Not Travel) | Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #158 | #144 |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | Death penalty possible |
| Women's safety rating | Do Not Travel | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | death | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | AFN | PKR |