Travel safety comparison · Africa
Burkina Faso vs Mali: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Burkina Faso and Mali 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.
Burkina Faso and Mali have very similar overall Warnely composite scores: 81 and 81. The choice between them is unlikely to be driven by the headline number alone. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Mali scores 4/5 against Burkina Faso's 5/5.
| 🇧🇫Burkina Faso | 🇲🇱Mali | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 81 / 100 | 81 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Do Not Travel | Do Not Travel |
| UK FCDO advisory | avoid all travel to whole country | avoid all travel to whole country |
| US State Department advisory | Level 4 (Do Not Travel) | Level 4 (Do Not Travel) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #152 | #154 |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Do Not Travel | Do Not Travel |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | legal | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | XOF | XOF |