Doha is region’s fourth most liveable city

According to the Global Liveability Index 2024, Doha is the fourth most liveable city in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The index, compiled and released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) — the research and analysis division of The Economist Group — evaluated 173 cities across the world.

The evaluation was based on 30 indicators divided into five categories — stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure and was done with the aim of assessing how comfortable each of these cities were to live in.

Abu Dhabi (81.7pts) topped the MENA region and was ranked 76th globally, while Dubai was a close second (80.8), finishing in overall 78th place. Kuwait City secured third place in the region with a score of 74.6 and a global ranking of 93. Doha (73.4, 106th) and Bahrain’s Manama (72.2) completed the top-five positions.

The Gulf region has been making significant strides in improving social infrastructure and economic diversification. The World Bank has forecast the region’s economic growth to strengthen to 2.8% in 2024 and 4.7% in 2025.

Doha offers people a safe place to live in, boasting one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The city, with its modern metro system, stunning architecture, and focus on innovation, is constantly evolving. The city’s high standards of living, superior infrastructure, and excellent medical and educational facilities make it one of the world’s best cities to settle down in.

This year, Vienna once again received perfect scores of 100 for four of the five categories (98.4 overall) of the Global Liveability Index, with only its score for culture and environment being a less-perfect 93.5, owing to a lack of major sporting events.

Vienna was followed by Copenhagen with a score of 98 and Zurich with 97.1.

Syria’s Damascus (30.7) continued to be the least liveable city in the survey, with Tripoli (40.1) finishing one place above it.

Western Europe remained the most liveable region, excelling in four key categories, while North America followed closely behind, leading in education category.

The Asia-Pacific region, ranked third, saw only a slight improvement in liveability scores, while Eastern Europe experienced the biggest jump, primarily due to advancements in healthcare and education.

The report indicated a slight increase in the average liveability score to 76.1 across the 173 cities surveyed, reflecting a small enhancement in the quality of life for urban residents worldwide.