Dubai and Abu Dhabi among the world’s top cities of choice

Dubai and Abu Dhabi among the world’s top cities of choice

In recent years, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been at the forefront of the Middle East's growth and development. The UAE’s efforts are paying off – the two cities have ranked among the most desirable destinations for foreign workers and hubs for tourism and business, as well as for those who call them home.

In the ‘Cities of Choice’ study by Boston Consulting Group, cities including Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait City, Riyadh, and Mecca are found to share several similarities in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. While the Middle East cities assessed vary in terms of overall ranking, most have managed to grow their scores over the past year, demonstrating the growing quality of city life in the region.

For its study, the researchers surveyed over 50,000 people from 79 cities, asking them to assess more than 150 economic, social, and political metrics across five dimensions: economic opportunities, quality of life, social capital, interactions with authorities, and speed of change.