UAE ranked safest country in the world in 2025; Sri Lanka drops to 61st

The UAE has once again been named the safest country in the world, according to the Safety Index by Country 2025 Mid-Year, published by global data aggregator Numbeo.

Scoring an impressive 85.2 on the index, the UAE outperformed 147 other nations, reaffirming its status as a global leader in public safety and quality of life.

Gulf nations dominate

Following the UAE in the safety rankings are Andorra (84.8), Qatar (84.6), Taiwan (83.0), and Macao (China) (81.8). The Gulf region continues to shine, with Oman securing sixth place (81.4), Saudi Arabia ranking 14th (76.3), and Kuwait placing 38th (67.3).

UAE cities lead the world

In the Current Safety Index by City, the UAE stands out for fostering one of the safest and most cohesive societies globally, despite being home to over 200 nationalities.

Abu Dhabi leads the global list of safest cities with a score of 88.8, followed closely by Ajman (85.5), Dubai (83.9), Ras Al Khaimah (83.8), and Sharjah (83.7). This places five UAE cities among the top six safest in the world.

Other cities in the global top ten include Doha, Qatar (84.3), Taipei, Taiwan (83.4), Muscat, Oman (81.2), The Hague, Netherlands (80.0), and Tampere, Finland (79.5).

Countries with lowest scores

At the other end of the scale, Haiti ranked lowest with a Safety Index score of just 19.0, followed by Papua New Guinea (19.3), Venezuela (19.5), Afghanistan (24.8), and South Africa (25.4).

Lowest crime rate

In a parallel study, the Crime Index by Country 2025 Mid-Year, also released by Numbeo, the UAE was ranked 148th — the lowest position on the index — reflecting a Crime Index of just 14.8. This ranking denotes the lowest crime rate globally, as a lower score indicates a safer country.

By contrast, Haiti topped the Crime Index with a score of 81.0, followed by Papua New Guinea (80.7), Venezuela (80.5), Afghanistan (75.2), and South Africa (74.6) — all of which also feature at the bottom of the Safety Index.

Abu Dhabi leads again

In the Current Crime Index by City, the UAE once again stood out, with several cities ranking among those with the lowest crime rates worldwide.

Abu Dhabi was named the safest city globally, recording the lowest Crime Index at just 11.2, followed by Ajman (14.5), Doha (15.7), Dubai (16.1), Ras Al Khaimah (16.2), and Sharjah (16.3).

Cities with highest crime rates

Cities grappling with the highest crime levels include Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (82.7), Pretoria, South Africa (81.8), Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (81.4), Caracas, Venezuela (81.4), and Johannesburg, South Africa (80.8) — all struggling with deep-rooted security and governance issues.

Sri Lanka drops two spots

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has dropped to the 61st spot with an index score of 57.7 in the latest report. 

In the previous report (2024), Sri Lanka had placed 59th in the rankings with an index score of 57. 9.

–Agencies