Is It Safe to Travel to Uganda in 2026?
Uganda - Level 4: Do Not Travel
Last updated: · Source: U.S. Department of State
⛔ Do Not Travel
The U.S. State Department advises against all travel to Uganda or parts of Uganda due to serious safety concerns. Key factors: crime, health, terrorism, civil_unrest.
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania.
Is It Safe to Travel to Uganda in 2026?
Uganda is currently rated Level 4 — Do Not Travel by the U.S. Department of State. Do not travel to Uganda due to crime, health, terrorism, and unrest. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Uganda due to the Ebola outbreak.
Key concerns cited in the advisory:
- crime
- health
- terrorism
- civil_unrest
The overall security situation has been worsening recently. Contributing factors: Ebola outbreak declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, Violent crime poses a real danger, Protests can occur with little warning.
Traveler Impact
Solo travelers face significant risks from violent crime, including armed robbery and sexual assault, particularly in urban areas and regions near the borders.
Business travelers may encounter operational disruptions due to health risks like Ebola and civil unrest, alongside the threat of violent crime in major cities.
Families with children face extreme health risks, including the Ebola outbreak and high malaria prevalence, along with the danger of violent crime.
Remote workers may find limited infrastructure and health risks challenging, particularly in rural areas with poor connectivity and high disease prevalence.
Data on this page comes from the U.S. Department of State, the CDC, the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, and Freedom House. All sources are updated regularly and cross-referenced to provide a composite safety picture for Uganda.
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▶Safety and Stability Ratings
Threat Severity (0-10 scale)
Uganda has an overall threat severity of 9.7 out of 10. Crime risk is rated 8.0/10, terrorism risk 5.0/10, and kidnapping risk 0.0/10.
Governance Indicators (World Bank, percentile)
Political Stability▶
Measures the likelihood that the government will be destabilized or overthrown by unconstitutional or violent means, including politically-motivated violence and terrorism. Higher percentile means greater stability.
Rule of Law▶
Captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, including the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence.
Control of Corruption▶
Captures perceptions of the extent to which public power is exercised for private gain, including both petty and grand forms of corruption, as well as capture of the state by elites and private interests.
Government Effectiveness▶
Captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the quality of the civil service and the degree of its independence from political pressures, the quality of policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of the government's commitment to such policies.
Regulatory Quality▶
Captures perceptions of the ability of the government to formulate and implement sound policies and regulations that permit and promote private sector development.
Voice & Accountability▶
Captures perceptions of the extent to which a country's citizens are able to participate in selecting their government, as well as freedom of expression, freedom of association, and a free media.
Data from World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (2023).
Freedom Status: Not Free — scored 34/100 by Freedom House (2024). View full freedom profile →
▶Entry Requirements and Health
Entry Information
Visa
Check embassy for details
Currency
Ugandan Shilling (UGX)
Language
English / Swahili
Notable restrictions:
- Ebola self-quarantine for 21 days for those entering from DRC.
Vaccinations
Required:
- Yellow Fever: Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old.
Recommended:
⚠ Malaria Risk: high
Recommended medications: Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, tafenoquine
Active health notices:
- alertEbola Bundibugyo Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda: CDC recommends practicing enhanced precautions for travel to Uganda or to provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) not affected by the current Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak.
- watchGlobal Measles: Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Vaccination data sourced from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Consult a travel health professional before your trip.
Common Questions About Traveling to Uganda
▶What is the current travel advisory level for Uganda?
▶Is it safe to travel to Uganda right now?
▶Do I need a visa to visit Uganda?
▶What vaccines do I need for Uganda?
▶Is Uganda safe for solo travelers?
▶How bad is crime in Uganda?
More Uganda Data
Not Free — 34/100 on the Freedom House index.
Governance indicators including rule of law, corruption control, and regulatory quality.
View all 195 countries color-coded by advisory level.
Read the full advisory on travel.state.gov.
Access this data programmatically. Free tier available.
On-demand country risk PDFs from 6 government sources.