Travel safety comparison · Asia
Cambodia vs Laos: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Cambodia and Laos 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.
Cambodia and Laos have very similar overall Warnely composite scores: 42 and 38. The choice between them is unlikely to be driven by the headline number alone. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Laos scores 2/5 against Cambodia's 3/5.
| 🇰🇭Cambodia | 🇱🇦Laos | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 42 / 100 | 38 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Exercise Increased Caution | Exercise Increased Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | avoid all but essential travel to parts of country | avoid all but essential travel to parts of country |
| US State Department advisory | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #87 | #47 |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Generally Safe | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | legal | legal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | USD | LAK |