UAE AMONG THE TOP 10 SAFEST NATIONS IN THE WORLD

dubai — The UAE has been listed among the top 10 safest nations in the world, according to an annual global report that revealed how secure residents feel in their countries.

In its 2020 Global Law and Order report, analytics firm Gallup ranked countries based on a ‘law and order index’, a composite score calculated from people’s reported confidence in their local police; feelings of personal safety; and the incidence of theft and assault in the past year.

The higher the score, the higher the proportion of the population that reports feeling secure, the firm explained.

The UAE scored 92 in this index, making it one of the safest globally. While Singapore, like every year, topped the list with 97, Afghanistan scored a low of 43, ranking alone as the lowest in the world for the second consecutive year.

The numbers also indicate that in most economically developed countries with “a strong rule of law”, majority of residents said they felt safe walking alone at night in their neighbourhood. This response was nearly universal in

Singapore, at 97 per cent; the UAE, 92 per cent; and topped 80 per cent in many Western European countries.

With a law and order score of 85, the US fared better this year compared to last year’s results.

Globally, the index score for the world in 2019 was 82 out of a possible 100 and 90 countries posted scores lower than this average.

Among GCC countries, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were also part of the list of 10 countries where residents felt safe walking alone at night. Kuwait scored 90 per cent and Saudi Arabia got 88 per cent.

Nearly seven in 10 people worldwide (69 per cent) said in 2019 that they feel safe walking alone where they live, the same figure recorded in the previous year. Except for Afghanistan, the countries in which residents were least likely to say they feel safe walking alone at night were countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.