Noted for being the center of commerce not only in the United Arab Emirates but in the whole Middle East, Dubai—where hundreds of thousands of overseas Filipino workers have found jobs—has also become one of the most improved places to live in over the past five years.
It is based on the analysis made by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) which assessed 140 cities to determine the locations around the world which had the best or worst living conditions.
In determining the scores, the EIU considered 30 factors ranging from stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
The scores are compiled and weighted between one and 100 with one considered intolerable and 100 being ideal.
Based on the EIU findings, Dubai was the second most improved city among Arab countries in terms of liveability, second only to Tehran.
Dubai’s overall liveability score was at 74.7 out of 100, an improvement of 4.6 percent since 2011. In comparison, the worst city to decline, Damascus, had a score of 30.2.
Despite ranking in the lower tiers, Middle Eastern cities have seen massive improvements as civil stability has recovered—such as in Tehran and Saudi Arabia’s Al Khobar.
While Dubai ranks 74 out of 140, the EIU said that there were only six cities that had improved scores over the past year.
Half of the cities evaluated saw declines in liveability given global turmoil ranging from terrorist attacks to civil unrest and diplomatic tensions.
“Those that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density,” EIU told the National.
The world’s most liveable city was Melbourne, Australia. Six of the 10 top-scoring cities came from Australia and Canada.