Global Liveability Index 2024: UAE cities reinforce reputation for safety and stability

The 2024 Global Liveability Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) evaluates 173 cities based on five key categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. UAE cities have secured top positions on the list.

Dubai and the capital Abu Dhabi have solidified their positions as the most liveable cities in the vast region. Both cities improved their scores in healthcare and education. Abu Dhabi retained the top spot and Dubai came in second, regionally.

The Emirati cities’ strong performances in all of the five key categories underline their commitment to enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. The annual rankings also highlighted the dominance of Gulf countries in the region.

UAE city ranks as the safest city globally

In terms of the “Crime and Safety Indexes” by Numbeo, the UAE capital shined as the safest city globally, securing 88.2 points on the Safety Index and recording the least score on the Crime Index at 11.8 points. Dubai also ranked highly, securing fifth place on the list.

The education sector in both UAE cities also recorded strong performances. During the 2023-24 academic year, Dubai had 220 private schools and the capital emirate had 459 schools, including private, public and mixed institutions.

In the healthcare sector, Dubai noted impressive results. The number of licenced and operational healthcare facilities in the city reached 5,020 in Q1 2024. The capital, on the other hand, had 3,323 healthcare facilities and 12,922 licenced doctors by the end of 2022.

Stability records most significant drop among 5 categories

Globally, Vienna retained its position as the most liveable city for the third consecutive year, receiving perfect scores in stability, education, healthcare and infrastructure. But cities like Vancouver, Sydney and Melbourne noted declines due to infrastructure issues.

The 2024 Global Liveability Index also pointed out that stability recorded the most significant drop among the five categories. Protests and conflicts have been affecting several cities. For instance, Tel Aviv fell by 20 places as the Israel-Hamas fighting rages on.

Damascus and Tripoli secured the bottom positions on the list, reflecting the ongoing instability in those countries. Overall, the 2024 index highlights the continued improvement of cities in the Gulf region, as Dubai and Abu Dhabi enhance the quality of life for all.

Global Liveability Index 2024: Top 10 cities

1. Vienna

2. Copenhagen

3. Zurich

4. Melbourne

5. Calgary

6. Geneva

7. Sydney

8. Vancouver

9. Osaka

10. Auckland