Zambia

Level calmupdated 4 min ago
Open alert types
Epidemic
What governments advise19 states tracked
13 nothing to report5 increased caution1 advise against non-essential travel
Mira Safe's take

No underlying concern: official advisories are at ease about this country.

1alerts in progress1 / 19state advises against travel711events over 12 months
HighCritical

What are the main risks in Zambia?

Over the last 12 months, our sensors recorded 711 events there, including 89 severe. The most frequent: Wildfire, Epidemic, Flood.

Is there a government travel advisory for Zambia?

Yes — of the 19 governments we track, 1 advises against travel and 5 urge extra caution. The detail is in the security section below.

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Zambia: current alerts and safety news

The alerts open right now, all sources combined — weather, seismic, satellite, health and state advisories.

Zambia: Cholera Outbreak - Feb 2026

8 months ago · ReliefWeb (UN OCHA)

High

Last 90 days

  • Calm
  • Moderate / High
  • Critical
  • N/A
July 14October 11

Colour = the country level observed that day (highest of the day). N/A: before our records began.

Is it safe to travel to Zambia?

Zambia sits at 3 on our 0-to-4 scale. Over the last 12 months our sensors logged 352 events, 49 of them severe. Fire carries almost all of the count: 347 records, 46 severe. It has a real season here — 185 records in August and 152 in July, against 9 in June, and close to nothing in the quiet months (2 in January, 1 in March, 1 in May). Two things weigh more for people than the volume does: one travel advisory record and one epidemic record, each logged a single time, both rated among the highest stakes in this country. Floods come next with 3 records, one of them severe. They also follow a season, but three records are too few to say which months. That is the honest limit of what we have on water here.

What it changes for a nomad

For a stay of several weeks, the month you land changes what you deal with. July and August are the loaded ones, 152 and 185 records, and fire at that scale can mean smoke in the air and slower days between towns. If your work needs you outside or on the road, the middle of the year costs you time. The other end is quiet: 1 record in March, 1 in May, 2 in January. Floods sit on the other side of the year, but with 3 records we cannot tell you when — lean on local advice there, not on our count. And keep the ranking straight: the advisory and the epidemic appeared once each, yet they are the two that would actually change your plans, not the fire tally. Build a buffer into travel days in the busy months.

Written with the help of AI from Mira Safe's sourced data on August 24, 2026 · does not replace local guidance How this analysis is produced →

1 earlier analysis

  1. August 21, 2026

    Zambia records wildfires overwhelmingly — over 300 detected across the last 12 months, about 45 severe enough to affect travel and infrastructure. Floods occur occasionally, with one significant event recorded. An epidemic was also tracked and classified as high-stakes. The dry season from June through August sees massive fire activity; July and August together account for over 80 percent of all recorded events. Outside this window, the country experiences far fewer hazards.

To watch right now

  • Four alerts are open right now, so check what is live on the route you are taking.
  • The most recent significant records are a fire, an epidemic and a flood, each at level 3 — worth a look before you settle in.

To watch as a rule

  • Fire, by far the main thing recorded here: 347 events over 12 months, 46 severe, concentrated in July (152) and August (185).
  • Smoke during those weeks — it affects the air and the roads, not just the burn areas.
  • Floods: only 3 records, 1 severe. The season exists, the data is too thin to place it.
  • Health notices: a single epidemic record over the year, but ranked among the highest stakes here.

Good reflexes

  • In July and August, check smoke and fire reports the morning you plan a long drive.
  • On heavy-smoke days, work indoors with the windows shut and keep a mask in your bag.
  • In the rainy months, ask locally about the state of a road before you commit to it.
  • Read the local health notices when you arrive, and know where the nearest clinic is.
  • Keep offline maps and a charged power bank, so a bad connection never decides your route.

Zambia: travel advisories and areas to avoid

What the 19 tracked governments officially advise for this country — converging or not. The everyday reference.

  • Advised against by 4+ states
  • Advised against by 1 state
  • Advised against unless essential
  • Cities excluded from the zone

Zambia: quality of life and safety in figures

Everyday living conditions, on the few indicators published for every country in the world. Background for a stay — not what is happening today.

Favourable vs the world median

  • New displacements, disasters: 0.42 per 1,000 people (median 0.73)

Watch out vs the world median

  • Air quality (PM2.5): 20.2 µg/m³ (median 17.3)
  • Road deaths: 20.5 per 100,000 people (median 15.2)
  • Physicians: 0.32 per 1,000 people (median 1.7)
  • Life expectancy at birth: 66.5 years (median 74.7)
Air quality (PM2.5)
20.2µg/m³ · 2023

Above the world median (17.3) · lower is better

WHO guideline: 5 µg/m³

Road deaths
20.5per 100,000 people · 2019

Above the world median (15.2) · lower is better

Physicians
0.32per 1,000 people · 2022

Below the world median (1.7) · higher is better

Life expectancy at birth
66.5years · 2024

Below the world median (74.7) · higher is better

New displacements, disasters
0.42per 1,000 people · 2023

Below the world median (0.73) · lower is better

9,300 people in total

Refugees hosted
3.8per 1,000 people · 2025

83,225 people in total

12,906 asylum seekers

People living in internal displacement
0people · 2025

Security and violence

Structural risk (INFORM) · 2026

5.8/10 — high

Composite index by the JRC (European Commission): hazards & exposure, vulnerability, coping capacity. Structural background — not today's alerts.

Homicides are the only crime figure that exists worldwide under an open licence. It says nothing about theft or scams — no reliable worldwide data exists for those; official state advisories are the honest day-to-day reference.

National figures, published once a year and often a few years behind: an order of magnitude for daily life, never the situation right now. Sources: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) · UNHCR

Zambia: natural disasters and risks in figures

Last 30 days · 132 events

Eventsof which severe
  • Wildfire13021 21 severe
  • Epidemic2

Last 12 months · 711 events

Eventsof which severe
  • Wildfire70387 87 severe
  • Epidemic31 1 severe
  • Flood3
  • Travel advisory11 1 severe
  • Risk1

By month

Eventsof which severe
11
12
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
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What travellers lived

What people who stayed there report. A feeling is not a risk level: these figures complement official data, they don't replace it.

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Only ever published as anonymous aggregates, from 5 responses onward.

Mira informs you. Mira is not an emergency service — in an emergency, call local emergency services. Some of this page's content is generated with the help of AI from sourced, quantified data.

Go further

Humanitarian response under way

Operations run by humanitarian organisations in the country — context about the situation on the ground, not alerts.

  • IFRC humanitarian operation — Zambia - Measles

    Emergency fund (DREF) · since Jul 18, 2026 · planned until Jan 31, 2027

    IFRC GO ↗

Cities and destinations

The country's 9 regions

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