Travel safety comparison · Asia
Cambodia vs Malaysia: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Cambodia and Malaysia 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.
Malaysia carries a materially lower safety risk than Cambodia on the composite Warnely score: 27/100 against 42/100, a gap of 15 points. The biggest single category gap is in infrastructure, where Malaysia scores 2/5 against Cambodia's 4/5. The US State Department currently carries a Level 2 advisory on Cambodia and a Level 1 on Malaysia. Drug law diverges sharply: Cambodia carries a tier-severe regime against Malaysia's more permissive framework.
| 🇰🇭Cambodia | 🇲🇾Malaysia | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 42 / 100 | 27 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Exercise Increased Caution | Exercise Normal 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 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #87 | #13 |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | Death penalty possible |
| Women's safety rating | Generally Safe | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | legal | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | USD | MYR |