Al Ain scores 89 out of 100 (very high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 97 of 6168 cities worldwide. The score combines the homicide rate, nearby conflict deaths, income equality and human development from published data (UNODC, UCDP, World Bank, UNDP).

Is Al Ain safe?

United Arab Emirates · Asia · data updated 2026-09-04

89.1Very high · rank 97 / 6,168
safer than 98% of ranked cities

Al Ain is a city in United Arab Emirates, home to about 874k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 97 of 6,168, with a safety score of 89.1 out of 100, which puts it in the top band of the ranking.

US 3/4 Reconsider travel

Emergency Ambulance 998 · Fire 997 · Police 999

US State Department: Reconsider travelOfficial travel advisory level 3 of 4 for United Arab Emirates, updated 2026-08-28.
Same-sex activity criminalized - death penalty in lawLaw on the books in United Arab Emirates as of 2025 (OWID legal-status series) - enforcement varies, but LGBTQ+ travelers face legal risk.

No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for United Arab Emirates are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.

How safe is Al Ain really?

No published homicide figure exists for Al Ain itself, so the national rate stands in: United Arab Emirates recorded 0.5 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023 - well below the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. United Arab Emirates is also one of the more equal societies in the dataset (Gini 26.4), and low inequality is the strongest structural predictor of low city violence in this data.

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates United Arab Emirates at level 3 of 4 - "Reconsider travel" (updated 2026-08-28). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for United Arab Emirates without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.

What to watch out for in United Arab Emirates

Terrorism in the UAE · Protecting your belongings · Sexual assault · Drink and food spiking · Property scams · Your passport · Hotel regulations · Pedestrian crossings · Ramadan · Dress code · Swearing and rude gestures · Showing affection in public · Sexual relationships outside marriage · Financial crime · +15 more

Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for United Arab Emirates — country-level, not specific to Al Ain. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 0.5 /100knational rate, 2023
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 26.4country, 2018
Human development: HDI 0.940country, 2023
Income: $81,640/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 874kurban centre · 3,783/km²
Nearest airport: 12 kmAl Ain International Airport (AAN) · also DWC, 95 km

Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 8.9 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 79/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 66/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 69/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 2.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.87Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 57.2 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 99%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 3.0 doctors /1k1.9 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in United Arab Emirates

Tsunami: 6.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 5.0/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe United Arab Emirates as a whole, not Al Ain specifically.

Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in United Arab Emirates, with the death penalty applying in law (as of 2025). This describes the law on the books, not necessarily enforcement practice.

All country-level figures shared by every city in United Arab Emirates; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%83

Peace25%100

Equality25%86

Development10%94

One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For Al Ain that gives 89.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Al Ain compared with Dubai

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Al Ain, red favours Dubai.
Measure	Al Ain	Dubai	Difference
Safety score	89.1	85.3	+3.8 — better for Al Ain
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	0.5 /100k	0.9 /100k	−0.4 /100k — better for Al Ain
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0

Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in United Arab Emirates, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Dubai →

Nearby cities

See Al Ain on the interactive map → · Safest cities in Asia → · Full travel briefings →