Abu Dhabi named world's safest city in 2021 safety index

Dubai and Sharjah also in the world’s 10 safest cities for 2021, while South Africa and Brazil languish at the bottom of Numbeo's latest crime index

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  No.10, MUSCAT, OMAN. Bikers drive down a street in the Omani capital Muscat, as part of the 50th National Day celebrations. AFP

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  No.9, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA. Sunrise over Cluj-Napoca in Romania. Cluj-Napoca has a very low rate of violent crime. Getty Images

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  No. 8, MUNICH, GERMANY. One of Europe's wealthiest and safest cities, it benefits from low unemployment and high economic opportunity. Getty

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  No. 7, DUBAI, UAE. Dubai is one of the safest large cities in the world. Personal safety is high, with assaults and petty crime extremely low in comparison to other cities. Reem Mohammed / The National

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  No. 6, SHARJAH, UAE. The sun sets over Khalid Lake, with Sharjah city visible. The city has become a major cultural draw for tourists, boasting libraries, architecture and popular visitor attractions. Reem Mohammed / The National

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  No. 5, ZURICH, SWITZERLAND. The snow-covered Grossmuenster church. The capital of German-speaking Switzerland is a major financial hub - and one of the world's most expensive cities. EPA

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  No. 4, MONTREAL, CANADA. People enjoy the New Moon sound-and-light installation at the Quartier des Spectacles. The capital of French-speaking Quebec is consistently one of the world's most livable cities. AFP

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  No.3, TAIPEI, TAIWAN. This high-tech city thrives, even as its culture and tradition is protected and celebrated. High personal safety and high employment make the city and the island one of the safest places you could ever visit. EPA

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  No.2, DOHA, QATAR. As with many of the Gulf metropolises, petty or violent crime are extremely rare. EPA

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  No.1, ABU DHABI, UAE. A chilly January morning on Abu Dhabi's Corniche. Ranked the world's safest city for a fifth year, violent or petty crime is virtually unheard of in the Emirati capital, and it scored highest for high personal safety and high employment. Victor Besa / The National

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

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  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:

1. Caracas, Venezuela
2. Pretoria, South Africa
3. Durban, South Africa
4. Johannesburg, South Africa
5. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil