Abu Dhabi and Dubai remained the top liveable cities in the Middle East and Africa in 2024, improving their scores in healthcare and education, according to this year’s Global Liveability Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Abu Dhabi came in first place while Dubai ranked second, highlighting the progress they made in key areas.
According to Numbeo’s Crime and Safety Indices, Abu Dhabi is one of the safest cities globally. The city ranked first globally on the Safety Index with a score of 88.2 points and had the lowest score on the Crime Index with 11.8 points. Meanwhile, Dubai ranked fifth on the list of the world’s safest cities.
Healthcare sector flurishes
In healthcare, recent data from the Dubai Health Authority revealed that the total number of licensed and operational healthcare facilities in Dubai reached 5,020 during the first quarter of 2024, while the number of licensed doctors reached 13,370.
Meanwhile, the number of healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi, during the same period reached 3,323, including 67 hospitals, 1,136 health centers, 765 clinics, 1,068 pharmacies, and 287 other facilities classified as healthcare establishments. In addition, the number of licensed doctors in Abu Dhabi reached 12,922 by the end of 2022.
In the field of education, the number of schools in Abu Dhabi reached 459, including private, public, and mixed schools, during the 2023-2024 academic year. Meanwhile, the number of private schools in Dubai reached 220.
Read: 10 popular countries in the world to live in after retirement in 2024
GCC cities dominate ranking
Eight of the top 10 cities in the region were in the GCC region, which is stable and has an increasing influence on the world stage.
Among the top-ranking cities in addition to Abu Dhabi and Dubai were Kuwait City, Doha and Bahrain in the 3rd, 4th and 5th spots, respectively.
The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is one of the world’s economic powerhouses, drawing talent from around the world and deploying vast pools of capital to it.
The global index includes 173 cities and utilizes five categories to rank cities: stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
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