Safety should be one of your primary concerns when moving abroad as an expat; and with the on-going political unrest in the region it is right to question these cities/countries safety before the decision to move is made, particularly if you have a young family.

We took a look at the 6 most popular GCC cities: Kuwait City, Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Riyadh and see how they rank in terms of safety for yourself and your family.

6. Jeddah

Jeddah’s crime index was ranked at 35.08 and ranked 64.92 on the safety scale according to numbeo. Level of crime was ranked as ‘low’ (29.17) but there were a number of moderate concerns including crime increase in the past 3 years, and a ‘very high’ concern regarding corruption and bribery. However, in terms of walking the streets alone during the day, it scored 84.21 (which is very safe) and dropped to 65.00 during the night. 

Overall, we ranked Jeddah as our 6th safest city, but don’t misread it as it not being safe! Jeddah is certainly a very safe city. Conservative, like most of Saudi Arabia, expats tend to live in gated communities, so crime and safety within these communities is very low. If you fear for discrimination once out of these communities, Saudi’s are actually very courteous and hospitable making it a fantastic destination to relocate, one with plentiful opportunities for various different industries including, banking, finance, HR, Education and healthcare. 

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