Travel safety comparison · Middle East
Iraq vs Kuwait: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Iraq and Kuwait 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.
Kuwait carries a materially lower safety risk than Iraq on the composite Warnely score: 38/100 against 81/100, a gap of 43 points. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Kuwait scores 1/5 against Iraq's 4/5. The US State Department currently carries a Level 4 advisory on Iraq and a Level 3 on Kuwait. Women's-safety rating differs: Iraq is Do Not Travel and Kuwait is Exercise Caution.
| 🇮🇶Iraq | 🇰🇼Kuwait | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 81 / 100 | 38 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Do Not Travel | Exercise Increased 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 | #147 | #31 |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Do Not Travel | Exercise Caution |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | illegal | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | IQD | KWD |