Travel safety comparison · Africa
Cape Verde vs Sierra Leone: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Cape Verde and Sierra Leone 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.
Cape Verde carries a materially lower safety risk than Sierra Leone on the composite Warnely score: 18/100 against 37/100, a gap of 19 points. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Cape Verde scores 1/5 against Sierra Leone's 3/5. The US State Department currently carries a Level 1 advisory on Cape Verde and a Level 2 on Sierra Leone. Women's-safety rating differs: Cape Verde is Generally Safe and Sierra Leone is Exercise Caution. Drug law diverges sharply: Sierra Leone carries a tier-severe regime against Cape Verde's more permissive framework.
| 🇨🇻Cape Verde | 🇸🇱Sierra Leone | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 18 / 100 | 37 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Very Safe | Exercise Increased Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | No active advisory | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) |
| Global Peace Index rank | n/a | #57 |
| Drug law | Strict | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Generally Safe | Exercise Caution |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | legal | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | CVE | SLE |