International SOS Risk Map 2026 identifies countries at extreme security risk
The map ranks nations and territories from negligible to extreme, assessing conflicts, terrorism, political violence, kidnappings, crime and institutional response capacity.
Published 25 August, 2026 20:45 — The International SOS Risk Map 2026 ranks countries and territories by security risk, classifying them on a scale from negligible to extreme.
How the map assesses danger
The assessment is not limited to ordinary crime. It also takes into account armed conflicts, terrorism, political violence, civil unrest, kidnappings, crime, and the ability of state institutions and security services to respond.
The map divides locations into tiers that reflect varying levels of threat and response capacity, with the highest band labelled "extreme". That category signals environments where routine travel carries elevated danger and where companies and individuals should apply heightened precautions.
Among the destinations singled out as extreme security risk are territories and countries that, according to the 2026 map, face combinations of ongoing conflict, fragile governance and high levels of violent crime. The published summary identifies such places without listing every affected jurisdiction in this brief overview.
The Risk Map is routinely used by employers, insurers and travel managers to inform travel approvals, evacuation planning and insurance assessments. For individual travellers it serves as a prompt to review official travel advisories, update insurance cover and consider postponing non-essential trips to high-risk areas.
International SOS Risk Map 2026 aims to provide a consolidated, comparative view of security threats worldwide so that organisations and citizens can make better-informed decisions about movement and operations.
Photo: press material from the event
