This is the sixth time running that Abu Dhabi has taken the (cushioned) crown…

Global statistic database, Numbeo has published the result of its 2022 survey into the quality of life in various parts of the globe.

How can you judge ‘quality of life’

The website ranks cities (and countries) according to how they perform in several indicators for quality of life. These include the cost of living, crime, healthcare, climate, traffic, pollution and safety.

That data is built from responses to questions answered by visitors to the website.

How did the UAE do?

The UAE ranks highly overall, but it’s the safety element where our cities really come into their own.

Out of 460 cities where data has been supplied, Abu Dhabi comes out in the number one spot (and lowest for the perceived threat of crime). Making our capital, the least gritty city. Something all the more impressive when viewed alongside the fact that this is actually the sixth consecutive time Abu Dhabi has topped the list.

And it’s not just Abu Dhabi keeping those numbers from looking rookie. Sharjah came in fourth — a whopping 326 places above London, England; and Dubai came in eighth place, just a casual 232 places ahead of Mumbai, India.

Pretoria in South Africa; Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea; and Caracas in Venezuala make up the bottom three in descending order.

Respondents of the survey were asked to rate how they feel about

  • How serious do you feel the level of crime is?
  • Change of crime level in the past three years
  • Feeling of safety walking during daylight
  • Feeling of safety walking during night
  • How worried are you of being mugged or robbed
  • Worries of having a car stolen (or things from the car)
  • Worries of being physically attacked by strangers
  • Worries of being insulted or pestered by anybody, while in the street or any other public place
  • Worries of being subject to a physical attack because of your skin color, ethnic origin, gender or religion
  • Problems of people using and dealing drugs
  • How much is the problem of property crime?
  • How much is the problem of violent crime?

How reliable is this information?

This sort of survey-based study is genuinely considered one of the best ways of comparing country-to-country or international city to international city because the data gathered is relatively low in collection bias.

It is worth noting though that Numbeo has stated that the data used can be up to 36 months old.

Images: Getty