Travel safety comparison · Asia
India vs Sri Lanka: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of India and Sri Lanka 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.
Sri Lanka carries a materially lower safety risk than India on the composite Warnely score: 36/100 against 57/100, a gap of 21 points. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Sri Lanka scores 2/5 against India's 4/5. Women's-safety rating differs: India is Exercise Significant Caution and Sri Lanka is Generally Safe.
| 🇮🇳India | 🇱🇰Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 57 / 100 | 36 / 100 |
| Risk tier | High Risk | Exercise Increased Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | avoid all travel to parts of country | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #115 | #97 |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Exercise Significant Caution | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | legal | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | INR | LKR |