Travel safety comparison · Asia
Sri Lanka vs Maldives: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Sri Lanka and Maldives 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.
Maldives sits a little lower on the Warnely composite score than Sri Lanka (26 against 36), but the gap is small enough that the practical difference comes down to category-by-category detail rather than the headline. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Maldives scores 1/5 against Sri Lanka's 2/5.
| 🇱🇰Sri Lanka | 🇲🇻Maldives | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 36 / 100 | 26 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Exercise Increased Caution | Exercise Normal Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | No active advisory | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #97 | n/a |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Generally Safe | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | illegal | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | LKR | MVR |