Saturday, August 17, 2024 Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been ranked the top cities to live in the Middle East and Africa for 2024, showcasing their commitment to quality of life. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been recognized as the top cities to live in across the Middle East and Africa, according to the 2024 Global Liveability Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Both cities have seen notable improvements, particularly in healthcare and education, with Abu Dhabi maintaining its position as the region’s leader, closely followed by Dubai in second place.
The EIU’s Global Liveability Index assesses cities based on five crucial factors: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The impressive rankings of Abu Dhabi and Dubai emphasize their dedication to improving the quality of life for both residents and visitors. Advancements in Infrastructure and Safety Abu Dhabi’s status as a safe city has been further confirmed by Numbeo’s Crime and Safety Indexes, where it ranked as the safest city worldwide, with a Safety Index score of 88.
2 and a Crime Index score of just 11.8. Dubai also performed exceptionally well, ranking fifth among the world’s safest cities.
Dubai has seen substantial growth in its healthcare sector, with the Dubai Health Authority reporting 5,020 licensed and operational healthcare facilities in the emirate by the first quarter of 2024. Additionally, the number of licensed doctors in Dubai increased to 13,370. Abu Dhabi, by the end of 2022, had 3,323 healthcare facilities, including 67 hospitals, 1,136 health centers, and 1,068 pharmacies, with a total of 12,922 licensed doctors.
Education in both cities has also shown significant progress. In the 2023-2024 academic year, Abu Dhabi had 459 schools, encompassing private, public, and mixed institutions, while Dubai had 220 private schools. The index also underscored the dominance of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the region, with eight of the top ten cities located within the Gulf.
Kuwait City, Doha, and Bahrain took third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively. Notably, Kuwait City experienced a significant jump, moving up four spots to 93rd place globally. Global Standings On the global stage, Vienna continued its reign as the world’s most liveable city for the third year in a row, achieving perfect scores in stability, healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
Conversely, cities like Melbourne, Sydney, and Vancouver experienced declines, largely due to infrastructure issues, particularly in housing. Global Liveability Index 2024: Top 10 Cities The report also highlighted that stability was the most affected category, with many cities experiencing declines due to protests and conflicts. For example, Tel Aviv dropped 20 places due to ongoing conflict in Gaza.
At the bottom of the list, Damascus and Tripoli remained, reflecting the ongoing turmoil in Syria and Libya. Overall, the 2024 Global Liveability Index demonstrates the continued advancement of cities in the Middle East and Africa, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai leading the charge in improving living standards for their inhabitants..
