Dubai: UAE residents are the happiest and safest among all cities in the Middle East, according to a quality of living survey of 215 cities, with Dubai coming tops, followed by Abu Dhabi.
Mercer, an international consulting firm, announced the results of its annual survey on Tuesday, ranking Dubai at 83 and Abu Dhabi at 87 in terms of quality of living, and Abu Dhabi 33 and Dubai 47 for personal safety.
The best city to live in is Zurich while the safest is Luxembourg. Baghdad placed last in both aspects, coming in at 215 out of 215.
The survey was conducted "to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments".
"Several regions of the Middle East have benefited enormously from government investment in infrastructure, health and sanitation and are rising up the rankings," said Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer, in a statement.
"However, personal safety and political tensions remain stumbling blocks and account for the low ranking of many of the region's cities. Multinationals often compensate for this by increasing compensation levels and other benefits for their employees," he said.
The key indicators included medical supplies and services, traffic congestion, censorship, personal freedom, recreation, schools and education, political and social environment and economic environment.
Nada Al Qassimi, spokesperson for Dubai Health Authority, told Gulf News that Dubai has always tried to lead the way in terms of health.
"What we're doing is good but we want the best. We are benchmarking our health system against the best in the world," she said.
Last year, Dubai came in at 80 and Abu Dhabi at 88 in the quality of living survey.
Bassam Ghazal, head of public information product solutions at Mercer in Dubai, said the lower ranking does not mean Dubai has lost its strength.
"Dubai's ranking has not gone down. It has actually gone up. It is now ranking 83 because other cities have also improved," he said.
The Dubai government has acknowledged the population growth and adjusted its future plans accordingly, announcing a new system of health funding that will allow all residents equal access to healthcare.
Dubai is also undertaking various ambitious infrastructure projects to accommodate the growing population, including building an extensive network of roads and a light-rail transport system.
Abu Dhabi is involved in several projects to improve the quality of life for its residents, including ones that will place it as the cultural centre of the UAE.
