A recent study by London-based health and security service firm International SOS identifies the most dangerous countries to visit in 2025, considering security, health, and climate risks. Unsurprisingly, a large number of nations with extremely high security risks were also regarded as having extremely high risk for healthcare and medical problems.
Along with Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine, many African nations, including Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic, are at the top of the list of countries at extreme risk. Haiti, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Mali are among the nations with slightly lower but still high security risks.
The Metro reports that health and security firm’s 2025 map highlights the countries where travellers are most likely to face threats, with risk factors such as the impact of extreme weather and climate change, infectious diseases, political violence, social unrest, and mental health taken into account. Several countries were also found to pose a high security risk (one level down from extreme), including Myanmar (Burma), Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Venezuela, Haiti, and Honduras.
A high security risk (one category below extreme) was also identified for the countries like Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Myanmar (Burma), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sally Llewellyn, the global security director at International SOS, told The Metro that while some of the countries had been given higher security risk ratings for 2025, they have not decreased any this year.
‘Geopolitical tensions have been the most prominent trigger, with changes to risk ratings for locations such as Sudan and Lebanon, where the intensity and expansion of conflict now impact more population centres and have pushed the overall risk rating up,’ she said.
‘International SOS continues to support organisations operating in these locations with verified information and advice on how such risks will affect their workforce and evacuations where needed.’
