The UAE’s three biggest cities have topped a safety index of more than 250 urban areas.
Abu Dhabi took pole position, with Sharjah coming sixth and Dubai, seventh.
Doha and Muscat also made the top 10, along with Taipei, Quebec City, Zurich, Munich and Cluj-Napoca in Romania.
The survey was carried out as part of a quality of life index by the global data website Numbeo.
The crowdsourced site uses several statistics to gauge which city's inhabitants have the best quality of life.
This year’s overall winner was Adelaide in Australia.
Along with safety, the poll also takes into account the purchasing power of the city’s inhabitants, the levels of pollution, house price-to-income ratio and cost of living.
The quality of health care, the time it takes to commute to work, and the climate also feature in the formula.
Cities require moderate temperatures and low humidity to be considered in the top ranks of pleasant places to live.
Abu Dhabi regularly tops the list of safest cities in the world; although it briefly slipped to third six months ago, after topping the list since 2016.
Safety is calculated on the results of surveys completed by the public on the Numbeo website, and also takes into account the level of crime in the city.
Abu Dhabi has a safety index of 88.46 out of 100, meaning its residents feel very secure indeed.
Sharjah’s ranking is 83.59 and Dubai’s is 83.44.
Here are the world’s top 10 safest cities for 2021:
1. Abu Dhabi, UAE
2. Doha, Qatar
3. Taipei, Taiwan
4. Montreal, Canada
5. Zurich, Switzerland
6. Sharjah, UAE
7. Dubai, UAE
8. Munich, Germany
9. Cluj-Napoca, Romania
10. Muscat, Oman
Where are the world's most dangerous cities in 2021?
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No. 247, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL. Boys fly kites in the Cantagalo favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 15 million people live in the favelas, which are lawless areas of the city governed by rival gangs, who frequently engage in shootouts with the police. Mario Tama / Getty Images -
No. 248, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA. The city skyline rises beyond Ellis Park Stadium, one of the venues for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Johannesburg saw a steep rise in both carjackings and truck hijackings in 2020. David Rogers / Getty Images -
No. 249, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA. Durban has seen a marked rise in serious crimes in 2020, with its attempted murder rate increasing by 9.6 per cent. Getty Images -
No. 250, PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA. Pretoria recorded an increase in carjackings, common robbery, shoplifting, home invasions and murders in the second half of 2020. Getty Images -
No. 251, CARACAS, VENEZUELA. Hillside slums in Caracas. Once the wealthiest country in South America, Venezuela has faced political turmoil, hyper-inflation and allegations of political mismanagement of the economy. Murder and kidnappings have risen sharply in recent years and it is regarded as particularly dangerous for foreign travellers and investors. Kimberly White / Getty Images
Caracas in Venezuela, which comes bottom of the list has an index of 15.32, meaning its residents regularly fear for their lives.
Crime in the country has soared, ever since the oil-rich country’s economy collapsed over a decade ago.
Pretoria and Durban in South Africa also rank badly, along with the Brazilian cities Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Porto Alegre and Sao Paulo, which are all in the last 10.
Baltimore is considered the most unsafe city in the United States, closely preceded by Detroit. Both cities have high unemployment rates, and large communities of people living below the poverty line.
Gang violence and drug use are also problems. More than three hundred people were murdered in Baltimore in 2020, for the sixth year in a row.
The world's 5 most dangerous cities:
- Caracas, Venezuela
- Pretoria, South Africa
- Durban, South Africa
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
