In January 2026, the crowd-sourced global database Numbeo released its Safety Index 2026 rankings, evaluating perceptions of safety and crime in 304 cities worldwide based on survey responses about personal security, violent and property crime, and confidence while walking alone during the day or night. Responses are statistically filtered, weighted, and scaled on a 0–100 score, with higher scores indicating higher perceived safety; scores are classified from Very Low (below 20) to Very High (above 80) to provide an overall safety assessment across global urban centres.
Safest Cities of 2026: Global Top Five and India’s Best-Ranked Urban Centres
According to the 2026 index, Qingdao in Shandong, China, topped the list as the safest city in the world with an outstanding score of 89.2, followed closely by Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates, UAE) with 88.9, Doha (Qatar) at 84.5, Sharjah (UAE) also at 84.5, and Dubai (UAE) at 83.9, highlighting strong performance by East Asian and Middle Eastern cities in the top tier of global safety.
Within India, Mangaluru (Karnataka) emerged as the safest city nationally, securing 46th place globally with a safety score of 74.4, reflecting high perceived safety among residents and visitors. Following Mangaluru, Ahmedabad (Gujarat) ranked second in India and 87th globally with 68.5, then Jaipur (Rajasthan) at 106th with 65.3, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) at 123rd with 62.0, and Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) at 132nd with 61.0, all demonstrating relatively high safety perceptions compared to India’s larger metropolitan centres.
UAE Leads Global Safety Rankings as India Places Mid-Range in 2026
At the country level, the United Arab Emirates dominated the safety rankings with a leading 86.0 score, followed by Qatar and Andorra both at 84.8, Taiwan with 83.0, and Macao (China) with 81.8, placing these nations in the top echelons of global safety. India, with an overall safety score of 55.8, ranked 70th globally, positioning it in the mid-range category.
The index also highlighted some of the least safe urban environments, with cities like Pretoria (South Africa), Caracas (Venezuela), and Johannesburg (South Africa) at the bottom of the global rankings, underscoring stark contrasts in perceived safety across different regions worldwide.
Summary:
Numbeo’s 2026 Safety Index ranks Qingdao as the world’s safest city, with UAE cities dominating the top five. Mangaluru leads India at 46th globally. The UAE tops country rankings, while India places mid-range at 70th. Pretoria, Caracas, and Johannesburg rank among the least safe cities worldwide in the 2026 index.
