Travel safety comparison · Oceania
Papua New Guinea vs Vanuatu: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu 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.
Vanuatu carries a materially lower safety risk than Papua New Guinea on the composite Warnely score: 20/100 against 62/100, a gap of 42 points. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Vanuatu scores 2/5 against Papua New Guinea's 4/5. The US State Department currently carries a Level 3 advisory on Papua New Guinea and a Level 1 on Vanuatu.
| 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea | 🇻🇺Vanuatu | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 62 / 100 | 20 / 100 |
| Risk tier | High Risk | Very Safe |
| UK FCDO advisory | avoid all but essential travel to parts of country | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #116 | n/a |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Generally Safe | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | illegal | legal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | PGK | VUV |