Travel safety comparison · Middle East
Iran vs Qatar: safety comparison
vs
Side-by-side safety comparison of Iran and Qatar 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.
Qatar carries a materially lower safety risk than Iran on the composite Warnely score: 34/100 against 72/100, a gap of 38 points. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Qatar scores 1/5 against Iran's 3/5. The US State Department currently carries a Level 4 advisory on Iran and a Level 3 on Qatar. Drug law diverges sharply: Iran carries a tier-death regime against Qatar's more permissive framework.
| 🇮🇷Iran | 🇶🇦Qatar | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 72 / 100 | 34 / 100 |
| Risk tier | High Risk | Exercise Normal Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | avoid all travel to whole country | avoid all but essential travel to whole country |
| US State Department advisory | Level 4 (Do Not Travel) | Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #142 | #27 |
| Drug law | Death penalty possible | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Exercise Caution | Exercise Caution |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | death | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | IRR | QAR |