In January 2026, according to Numbeo Safety Index 2026 rankings by Numbeo, a crowd-sourced global database, Mangaluru (Karnataka) emerged as the safest city in India, securing the 46th rank globally with a safety score of 74.4.
- Qingdao (Shandong, China) topped the global list with an exceptional safety score of 89.2, followed by Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates, UAE) in second place with 88.9, and Doha (Qatar) in third place with 84.5.
Exam Hints:
- What? Numbeo Safety Index 2026 Rankings Released
- Released by: Numbeo
- Total Cities Covered: 304
- Top 3 Safest City (Globally): Qingdao, Shandong (China) (Score: 89.2); Abu Dhabi(UAE)(88.9); Doha(Qatar)(84.5)
- Top 3 Safest City in India: Mangaluru (Karnataka) (Rank 46; Score: 74.4); Ahmedabad(Gujarat)( Rank 87, 68.5); Jaipur(Rajasthan)(Rank 106, 65.3).
- Top 3 Safest Countries: UAE – 86.0; Qatar – 84.8; Andorra – 84.8
Ranking Methodology:
Data Collection: The index is based on crime and safety perceptions gathered from surveys completed by visitors to the Numbeo website, with responses scored from −2 (negative) to +2 (positive).
Scoring System: Survey responses are filtered, weighted, and scaled to generate a final score ranging from 0 to 100.
Classification & Scope: Scores are categorized as Very Low (below 20), Low (20–40), Moderate (40–60), High (60–80), or Very High (above 80), covering 304 cities worldwide.
Top 5 Safest Cities Globally:
| Rank | City | Country | Safety Index Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qingdao, Shandong | China | 89.2 |
| 2 | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 88.9 |
| 3 | Doha | Qatar | 84.5 |
| 4 | Sharjah | United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 84.5 |
| 5 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 83.9 |
Top 5 Safest Cities in India:
| Rank (India) | Global Rank | City | State | Safety Index Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 46 | Mangaluru | Karnataka | 74.4 |
| 2 | 87 | Ahmedabad | Gujarat | 68.5 |
| 3 | 106 | Jaipur | Rajasthan | 65.3 |
| 4 | 123 | Coimbatore | Tamil Nadu (TN) | 62.0 |
| 5 | 132 | Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala | 61.0 |
Top 5 Safest Countries:
| Rank | Country | Safety Index Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 86.0 |
| 2 | Qatar | 84.8 |
| 3 | Andorra | 84.8 |
| 4 | Taiwan | 83.0 |
| 5 | Macao (China) | 81.8 |
| 70 | India | 55.8 |
Performance of the Cities:
Other Top 10 Cities Globally: Sharjah(United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranked 4th globally with a score of 84.5, followed by Dubai in 5th place with 83.9.
- Taipei (Taiwan) ranked 6th with a score of 83.5, followed by Manama (Bahrain) at 7th (82.0). Muscat (Oman) secured the 8th position with 81.3, while the Netherlands featured prominently with The Hague (9th, 80.0) and Eindhoven (10th, 79.1) completing the global top ten.
Most Unsafe City Globally: Pretoria (South Africa) was ranked at the bottom (304th) with a score of 18.2, preceded by Caracas (Venezuela) at 303rd (18.6) and Johannesburg(South Africa) at 302nd(19.2).
Safety Rankings of Indian Cities:
Other Indian Cities : Chennai (TN) (Rank 142, score – 60.0) and Pune (Maharashtra) (Rank 143, score – 58.7) featured in the “Moderate” safety bracket.
- Other rankings include Hyderabad(Telangana)(147) with a score of 57.4; Mumbai (Maharashtra) (Rank 155)with a score of 55.9; Kolkata(West Bengal, WB)(180) with a score of 53.1; and Bengaluru(Karnataka)(227) with a score of 46;
Unsafe Cities in India: New Delhi(Delhi) was ranked the least safe city in India, placing 255th globally with a score of 40.9, followed by Noida (Uttar Pradesh, UP) at 234th (44.9) and Gurgaon (Haryana) at 229th(45.9).
Top Safest and Least Safe Countries:
Top 10 Safest Countries Globally: The UAE tops the list with a safety index of 86.0, followed by Qatar and Andorra at 84.8 each. Taiwan ranks 4th (83.0), Macao (China) 5th (81.8), Oman 6th (81.6), Isle of Man 7th (79.1), Hong Kong (China) 8th (78.6), Armenia 9th (77.9), and Bahrain 10th (77.7).
Least Safe Countries: According to Numbeo’s 2026 safety index, Papua New Guinea had a safety score of 19.1, Venezuela scored 19.6, and Haiti scored 19.9, placing all three among the least safe countries globally.
About Numbeo:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Mladen Adamovic
Headquarters – Belgrade, Serbia
Established – 2009
