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Abu Dhabi Named World’s Safest City For 2025: Ninth Consecutive Year At The Top

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

January 20, 2025

Abu Dhabi has been ranked as the world’s safest city for 2025, marking the ninth consecutive year the emirate has topped the global safety rankings since 2017. This achievement, according to the Numbeo database, reflects the city’s pioneering security initiatives and strategies.

In the 2025 standings, Abu Dhabi secured the top spot out of 382 global cities, further solidifying its reputation as a leading safe haven for citizens, residents, and visitors. The emirate’s efforts to foster a sense of security and enhance trust in its public safety measures have significantly contributed to this continued success.

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Abu Dhabi Police’s Role In Ensuring Safety

The Abu Dhabi Police have played a key role in promoting a sense of safety and security throughout the city. Their ongoing efforts to improve public trust in law enforcement have helped position Abu Dhabi as a preferred destination for living, studying, and working. The city’s focus on quality of life and security is a core component of its appeal.

In January 2024, Abu Dhabi was also ranked first for safety globally by Numbeo, making it the safest city for two consecutive years. This ranking further showcases the city’s leadership in implementing the best security standards and ensuring a high quality of life for all its residents.

Global Liveability Index Highlights Abu Dhabi And Dubai

The Global Liveability Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), published in August 2024, recognized Abu Dhabi and Dubai as the top liveable cities in the Middle East and Africa. Both cities have improved their scores in healthcare and education, underlining their commitment to offering residents a high standard of living.

Safety And Crime Rankings

According to the Crime and Safety Indexes by Numbeo, Abu Dhabi holds the highest safety score globally, with an impressive 88.2 points on the Safety Index. The city also has the lowest score on the Crime Index, at 11.8 points, highlighting its exceptional safety record. Dubai ranks fifth globally in terms of safety, demonstrating both cities’ commitment to maintaining secure environments.

Healthcare And Education In Abu Dhabi And Dubai

In the healthcare sector, Abu Dhabi and Dubai both offer robust systems. In the first quarter of 2024, Abu Dhabi had 3,323 healthcare facilities, including 67 hospitals, 1,136 health centers, and 765 clinics. The emirate also employed 12,922 licensed doctors by the end of 2022. Dubai, in comparison, had 5,020 healthcare facilities with 13,370 licensed doctors.

For education, Abu Dhabi boasted 459 schools during the 2023-2024 academic year, while Dubai had 220 private schools. The strong educational infrastructure in both cities contributes to their ranking as some of the most liveable and secure cities in the world.

Abu Dhabi’s consistent performance at the top of global safety rankings, combined with its emphasis on healthcare, education, and overall quality of life, continues to reinforce its status as a leading global city for residents and visitors alike.

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ECB Launches Geopolitical Stress Tests For 110 Eurozone Banks

The European Central Bank is preparing a new round of geopolitical stress tests aimed at assessing potential risks to major financial institutions across the euro area. Up to 110 systemic banks, including institutions in Greece and the Bank of Cyprus, will take part in the exercise, which examines how geopolitical events could affect financial stability.

Timeline And Testing Process

Banks are expected to submit initial data on March 16, 2026. Supervisors will review the information in April, while the final results are scheduled to be published in July 2026. The process forms part of the ECB’s broader supervisory work to evaluate financial system resilience under different risk scenarios.

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Geopolitical Shock As The Primary Concern

The stress tests place particular emphasis on geopolitical risks. These may include armed conflicts, economic sanctions, cyberattacks and energy supply disruptions. Such events can affect banks through changes in market conditions, borrower solvency and sector exposure. Lending portfolios linked to regions or industries affected by geopolitical developments may face higher risk levels.

Reverse Stress Testing: A Tailored Approach

Unlike traditional stress tests that apply the same scenario to all institutions, the reverse stress test requires each bank to define a scenario that could significantly affect its capital position. Banks must identify a geopolitical shock that could reduce their Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio by at least 300 basis points. Institutions are also expected to assess potential effects on liquidity, funding conditions and broader economic indicators such as GDP and unemployment.

Customized Risk Assessments And Supervisor Collaboration

This methodology allows banks to submit risk assessments based on their own exposures and operational structures. The approach is intended to help supervisors understand how geopolitical events could affect institutions differently and to support discussions between banks and regulators on risk management and contingency planning.

Differentiated Vulnerabilities Across Countries

A joint report by the ECB and the European Systemic Risk Board indicates that countries respond differently to geopolitical shocks. The Russian invasion of Ukraine led to higher energy prices and inflation across Europe, prompting central banks to raise interest rates. Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece and Austria experienced increases in borrowing costs and lower investor confidence. Germany, France and Portugal recorded more moderate changes, while Spain, Malta, Latvia and Finland showed intermediate levels of exposure.

Conclusion

The geopolitical stress tests will not immediately lead to additional capital requirements for banks. Their results will feed into the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). ECB supervisors may use the findings when assessing capital adequacy, risk management practices and operational resilience at individual institutions.