Go with a plan.
Bangladesh's safety score rose to 58/100 today, though the US maintains a level 3 advisory while the UK and Canada hold at level 2. Watch for the global measles notice before you book.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Bangladesh
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go with a plan.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Drugging by strangers
Strangers may offer food, drink, or cigarettes laced with drugs to exploit tourists. Decline these offers from people you do not know.
Pickpocketing
Pickpockets operate in crowds and on public transport like buses or rickshaws. Keep your valuables close at hand and secure at all times.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Dial 999 from any Bangladeshi mobile phone number or landline for police, fire or ambulance in case of any emergency.
- •It's best to not eat, drink or smoke anything offered to you by strangers as there is a growing problem in many Asian countries of drugging, and you're likely to see signs warning you against it on buses, trains, etc.
- •Speeding buses, coaches or trucks cause many accidents with numerous fatalities reported daily.
Staying healthy
- •Bottled water is recommended since BSTI has not certified the tap water as potable.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers looking at Bangladesh face a landscape defined by conflicting perspectives on risk. Official assessments from Australia have shifted the country to a yellow travel level, indicating a move away from higher-risk categories. However, personal accounts highlight significant concerns regarding political instability, including the threat of riots and terrorism, alongside the environmental danger of natural disasters. While some visitors rely on local family connections for security and navigation, others prioritize hiring guides for structured trips to maintain control. There is no consensus on safety, as individual comfort levels vary drastically between those seeking adventure and those prioritizing the security of dependents in a country perceived as having a slew of systemic problems.
“a good update is Australia updated Bangladesh to only YELLOW level for travel to its previous ORANGE (levels are from best to worst - green, yellow, orange and red)
— r/travel
“Bangladesh has a slew of problems from terrorism to political riots to the threat of natural disasters
— r/travel
“they claim it is safe but, there version of safe and my version of safe are two different things.
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / C / D / G · 220V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 999 / ambulance: 999 / fire: 999
Zoom in
One Bangladesh city on SKETCH.WORLD
Real, resident-submitted Numbeo crime data at the city level — the same national picture above, with crime swapped for what people who actually live there report.
Show the receipts (11 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12