Abu Dhabi has been named the most liveable city in the Gulf region for the second year in a row.
According to the Global Liveability Index 2021, issued by The Economist Intelligence Unit, the UAE capital moved up seven places this year.
The EIU said the new ranking is a result of the government’s continued social and economic development and successful response to the challenges of the pandemic, which saw Abu Dhabi record the best response to Covid-19 in the world earlier this year.
The index surveys the 140 most livable cities in the world according to 30 factors. It measures the world’s best cities to live in based on the level of luxury and comfort of living in each city, according to a set of criteria and determinants, which are stability, quality of healthcare, culture and environment, quality of education and infrastructure.
Abu Dhabi beat its neighbour Dubai to retain the top spot in the Arab world as the best city to live in the Middle East, despite the global challenges imposed by the pandemic.
The virus crisis affected the ranking of many cities in terms of quality of life, which resulted in a decline in the ranking of some European cities in the index.
Falah Muhammad Al Ahbabi, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport said: “The unified efforts between all government entities and the holistic vision of our leadership have always been the cornerstone of the emirate’s pursuit to achieve more at all levels, including community development and quality of life in Abu Dhabi.
“We have always worked within the framework of a long-term strategy, in a proactive manner, which allows us to achieve the aspirations of our nation and implement a people-centered plans.”
He added: “Abu Dhabi has gone the extra mile to do a remarkable work in reality, recognized by many global indices, and has succeeded in setting a unique example for the world to emulate in social, economic and scientific development.
“Through the combination of modern urban planning and quality livelihoods in line with international best practices, Abu Dhabi can continue to rise in the global league of livable cities and become one of the best cities in the world to live in,” he said.
Globally, Auckland (pictured above) in New Zealand topped the list, followed by Osaka, Japan, Adelaide, Australia, Wellington, New Zealand and Tokyo, Japan.
Living conditions remained worst in the Syrian capital, Damascus, the report showed while Lagos, in Nigeria, was second from the bottom.
The report comes as the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi launched the third cycle of its Quality of Life survey, a key measurement tool for the development of the societal and governmental sectors’ operational systems in the emirate.
The survey is aimed at examining the welfare indicators that measure societal levels in the Emirate with the purpose of detecting major societal issues, as well as sizing the community’s awareness of some of these issues.
In this new cycle, the survey contains 14 key modules that were based on the findings of the first and second cycles – Housing, Household Income and Wealth, Job and Earnings, Work-life Balance, Health, Education and Skills, Personal Safety and Security, Social Connections, Civic Engagement and Governance, Environmental Quality, Social Cohesion and Culture, Social and Community Services, Digital Well-being, and Subject Wellbeing.
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