Whether as a country or its capital city, Qatar continues to be recognised as one of the safest and therefore, the top destinations in the world.

Qatar and its capital city Doha continue to rank and make headlines as the safest and best destinations in the world, according to the Crime Index by Country and City 2023 by Numbeo, the world’s largest user-contributed database on cities and countries.

Safest city, safest country

Qatar is the safest country in the world, according to Numbeo’s Crime Index by Country 2023.  A total of 142 countries were covered by Numbeo’s Crime Index by Country 2023, with Qatar ranking first with a score of 85.2 on the Safety Index and 14.8 on the Crime Index. Among the top 10 countries, Qatar is followed by the UAE, Taiwan (China), Isle of Man, Oman, Hong Kong (China), Armenia, Japan, Switzerland, and Bahrain. Three Arab countries are named among the top 10 safest countries.

Doha is ranked as the second safest city in the world, according to Numbeo’s Crime Index by City 2023. Doha scored 85.5 on the Safety Index and 14.5 on the Crime Index. It followed the same position in the Numbeo’s Crime Index by City 2021 and 2022. 

Doha ranked 415 out of 416 cities in the Crime Index by City 2023, attaining second place after Abu Dhabi, UAE. Among the top 10 cities, Doha is followed by Taipei (Taiwan/China), Ajman (UAE), Sharjah (UAE), Quebec City (Canada), Dubai (UAE), San Sebastian (Spain), Bern (Switzerland), and Eskisehir (Turkey). Four Arab cities from two countries were named among the top 10 safest cities in the world.

Numbeo is also a crowd-sourced global database and the world’s biggest database of user-contributed data on countries and cities globally. It includes data of quality of life information including housing indicators, perceived crime rates, and quality of healthcare, among many other statistics. Numbeo has published its annual reports since 2009, based on measurement of the crime rate worldwide. 

The level of crime, worries of being attacked, insulted, mugged or robbed, violent crimes, problems with corruption and bribery are rated very low in Qatar, while safety walking alone during the day or night are rated very high.

In recent years, Qatar has continued to retain its global distinction as one of the safest countries in the world. In 2021, Doha was declared the second safest city in the world, according to Numbeo’s Crime Index by City 2021 report. In 2020, Qatar was named the world’s safest country by Numbeo’s mid-year Crime Index by Country. Qatar has taken the title as the world’s safest country at least three times on Numbeo – first in 2017, then again in 2019 and 2020. Qatar has been named the safest Arab country since 2015.

To see Numbeo’s reports on Qatar, visit numbeo.com

Doha among top 30 World Best Cities

Doha has been named among the top cities to live in the World Best Cities 2023 rankings by Resonance Consultancy, a leading global advisor on placemaking, branding and marketing for the world’s best cities, districts, developments and destinations. 

The ranking puts Doha as the 27th best city in the world to live, work, invest and visit. Doha placed second in the Middle East and Arab world, behind Dubai (UAE), ranked 5th in the world and ahead of Abu Dhabi (UAE), ranked 28th. Riyadh (KSA) ranks 83rd, making four Arab cities in the top 100 World’s Best Cities. 

The top 10 cities are London (UK), Paris (France), New York (US), Tokyo (Japan), Dubai (UAE), Barcelona (Spain), Rome (Italy), Madrid (Spain), Singapore (Singapore) and Amsterdam (Netherlands). The report named Ukraine’s capital Kyiv as the 2023 honourary World’s Best City.

Resonance Consultancy ranks global cities (principal cities of metropolitan areas with populations of more than one million) using a combination of statistical performance and qualitative evaluations by locals and visitors in 24 areas grouped into six core categories. Principal cities are defined as the largest city in each metropolitan statistical area. The categories include Place, Product, Programming, Prosperity, People and Promotion.

According to Resonance Consultancy, Qatar has its sights set on becoming the next tourism hot spot in the Middle East, with Doha as its crown jewel. ‘In less than a century, Qatar went from a poor UK colony with a dwindling fishing industry to an independent nation that today is the richest state per capita in the world — with booming infrastructure development to match,’ Resonance Consultancy stated.

In addition, Resonance Consultancy stated that Doha is top globally for GDP per capita, employment rate and the overall prosperity category. With shrewd investment of oil wealth, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is estimated to be worth almost USD450 bn. A flurry of investment means new highways, a metro system, universities, the I M Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), which Resonance Consultancy stated, when it opened, inspired the New York Times to say, ‘Skip the Vatican Museum. Go to the National Museum of Qatar instead.’

In addition, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ showcased architectural masterpieces in stadiums such as the iconic Lusail Stadium, which hosted the final game and closing ceremony, and the innovative Stadium 974 and Al Bayt Stadium. In addition, Resonance Consultancy also noted the opening of an astounding number of new hotels in and around the city, including Fairmont Doha, Raffles Doha, and two Waldorf Astoria properties: the new Waldorf Astoria Lusail, Doha, and the upcoming Waldorf Astoria Doha West Bay.

To see the World Best Cities 2023 ranking, visit worldsbestcities.com/rankings/worlds-best-cities

Doha: Arab Tourism Capital for 2023

The Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism named Doha as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2023 during its 25th session at the Arab League General Secretariat in December 2022.

According to Salem Mubarak Al Shafi, the permanent representative of Qatar to the Arab League, naming Doha as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2023 sincerely reflects and proves its prestige as a destination for people from around the world.

He emphasised the tolerance, good treatment, and hospitality of the country’s leadership, government, and people, adding that Qatar has proven its potential for good organisation, management, and hospitality after receiving hundreds of thousands of fans during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

By Ola Diab

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