Is Johannesburg safe? Travel risk overview
As of October 16, 2026, 3 governments publish travel advice for South Africa, and those using numeric levels all place it at level 2.
Official government travel advisories for South Africa
Four governments assess the same country independently. Levels run 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest).
| Government | Level | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. State Department | Level 2 | Exercise Increased Caution |
| UK FCDO | — | No active warning detected The FCDO publishes a country page for this destination, but no "advise against travel" warning was found when this page was built. Check the official page before relying on that. |
| Smartraveller | Level 2 | Exercise a high degree of caution |
| Global Affairs Canada | Level 2 | Exercise a high degree of caution |
U.S. State Department
Exercise increased caution in South Africa due to crime, terrorism, unrest, and kidnapping. Violent crime is common and includes robbery, rape, carjacking and mugging. There are also "smash-and-grab" attacks on vehicles. Violent crime is more common in the downtown areas of big cities, especially after dark. Kidnapping is a threat in South Africa. Kidnappers target U.S. citizens and other foreign
Smartraveller
Australian Government travel advice for South Africa. Exercise a high degree of caution. Travel advice level YELLOW. Understand the risks, safety, laws and contacts.
Crime and safety indices
Numbeo indices are crowd-sourced perception measures for Johannesburg; the UNODC rate is an official national statistic. They measure different things and are shown together for context, not as a combined score.
Health
Current CDC notices: Global Measles.
Health considerations for South Africa:
- Routine vaccines
- COVID-19
- Cholera
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Malaria
- Measles
- Monkeypox
- Rabies
- Typhoid
- Yellow Fever
- Leptospirosis
Source: CDC Travelers' Health. Vaccination needs depend on your history and itinerary — consult a travel health provider.
Full assessment for Johannesburg
This page shows published advisories and indices. A Secure Traveler assessment adds eight categories of analysis for your specific trip — crime, targeted risks, cyber, IP risk, identity and financial, transportation, embassy and emergency, and medical — plus an emergency card with local numbers, hospitals and embassy contacts. Three full reports are free.
Generate a free assessmentSources
- U.S. State Department — official advisory
- Smartraveller — official advisory
- Global Affairs Canada — official advisory
- Numbeo crime and safety indices for Johannesburg
- UNODC Global Study on Homicide (2021)
- CDC Travelers' Health — South Africa
- GDACS — Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System
Not available when this page was built: usgs: no M4.5+ earthquakes within 500km of Johannesburg in the last 30 days. These are named rather than omitted so the gaps are visible.