Travel safety comparison · Asia
Sri Lanka vs Maldives: safety comparison
vs
Sri Lanka vs Maldives: side-by-side safety comparison. Risk scores, FCDO + US State advisories, drug law, women's safety, LGBTQ+ status.
Maldives carries a materially lower safety risk than Sri Lanka on the composite Warnely score: 22/100 against 38/100, a gap of 16 points. The biggest single category gap is in crime, where Maldives scores 1/5 against Sri Lanka's 2/5.
| 🇱🇰Sri Lanka | 🇲🇻Maldives | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 38 / 100 | 22 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Exercise Increased Caution | Exercise Normal Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | No active advisory | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #97 | n/a |
| Drug law | Severe (long sentences) | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Generally Safe | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | illegal | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | LKR | MVR |
Sri Lanka vs Maldives: common questions
Is Sri Lanka or Maldives safer to visit?
Maldives has the lower Warnely composite risk score: 22/100 vs 38/100 (lower is safer). Both scores factor in crime, terrorism, natural disasters, health, civil unrest, and infrastructure.
Is Sri Lanka or Maldives safer for solo female travellers?
Sri Lanka is rated Generally Safe for women's safety; Maldives is rated Generally Safe. Read the full guides for city-level detail.
What do FCDO and US State Department say about Sri Lanka and Maldives?
Sri Lanka: No active advisory (FCDO), Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) (US State). Maldives: No active advisory (FCDO), Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) (US State).