Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been ranked among the top 10 cities in the ‘Cities of Choice’ study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the largest consulting firms in the world.
Other Middle Eastern cities, including Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Makkah (Saudi Arabia), Doha (Qatar), and Kuwait City (Kuwait), were also evaluated.
Almost 50,000 respondents from 79 cities were questioned by the researchers. They asked them to rate over 150 economic, social, and political indicators across five dimensions, including economic opportunity, quality of life, social capital, interactions with authorities, and speed of change.
Dubai has been ranked ninth in the ‘Cruiser Weight Cities’ of the study. In economic opportunities, Dubai scored 71 out of 100, showing a positive environment for businesses and startups. In the quality-of-life category, it got only 51, with room for improvement.
Dubai is a fantastic place for wealthy people, providing them with a luxurious quality of life, but for people with low incomes, the quality of life is much lower due to a shortage of affordable housing projects.
Abu Dhabi has been ranked ninth in the “Middle Weight Cities’ of the study. Home to 1.5 million people, it scored 73 out of 100 in the economic opportunities category, outranking the financial capital of the Emirates. In the quality-of-life dimension, it scored only 43 due to lower social and infrastructural development compared to Dubai.
Despite its small population, Abu Dhabi has positioned itself as a global player and a center for innovation and business. The study, however, recommends Abu Dhabi invest more in public transport, green areas, and social services.
