How we rate countries

The score

Each country gets a score out of 100 that blends two things: general safety for a visitor (crime, conflict, disease, unrest) and how Black people are treated (racism, profiling, service discrimination, the size and visibility of the local Black community). A safe country with documented anti-Black racism scores lower; a war zone scores very low whatever the local attitude.

• Safe (75–100) — generally safe and welcoming for Black travellers.
• Watch (40–74) — a mixed picture: specific risks or reports to know about.
• Caution (20–39) — serious, well-documented concerns.
• Avoid (0–19) — the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel, or there is active conflict or equivalent danger.

Our sources

Every rating links to the sources behind it. We use:

• UK FCDO and US State Department travel advice
• The EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s “Being Black in the EU” survey (2023)
• UN racial discrimination reviews and expert visits, Council of Europe (ECRI) reports
• Human Rights Watch, Amnesty and reputable news
• Black travel journalism — supporting evidence only

Evidence levels

Each rating says how strong its evidence is: high (official data and survey figures), medium (official advice plus credible reporting) or low (little reporting on Black travellers specifically — treat with care).

We never invent statistics, quotes or reviews. Where evidence is thin, we say so.

Keeping it current

Every month we re-check official advice for all 195 countries and flag any score that should move. Changes are reviewed before they go live, and each country page shows when it was last reviewed.

Spotted something out of date? Use the Report button in the app or message us on social media.