Dubai retains title of the world’s cleanest city for sixth consecutive year

Dubai has retained its position as the world’s cleanest city for the sixth consecutive year, according to the Global Power City Index (GPCI) issued by the Institute for Urban Strategies at Japan’s Mori Memorial Foundation, reinforcing the emirate’s global leadership in quality of life, sustainability, and urban excellence.

The achievement reflects Dubai’s long-term vision of developing a clean, healthy, and sustainable urban environment that places people and community wellbeing at the core of planning, development, and city management. It further highlights the emirate’s ability to maintain advanced standards of urban living while strengthening its global competitiveness as one of the world’s most attractive cities to live, work, and visit.

Dubai achieved a 100% satisfaction score in the city cleanliness indicator under the Environment pillar of the Global Power City Index, outperforming major global cities evaluated across key measures of urban performance.

The Global Power City Index is among the world’s leading benchmarks assessing urban competitiveness through six core functions: quality of life, environment, economy, research and development, cultural interaction, and accessibility, based on more than 70 international indicators.

This recognition reflects Dubai Municipality’s sustained efforts to enhance public health standards, improve the urban environment, and maintain the aesthetic character of the city through integrated cleanliness operations, sustainable urban planning, and continuous development of public facilities, parks, beaches, and community spaces.

Dubai Municipality’s cleanliness efforts align with the objectives of the Steering Committee for Preserving the Urban Appearance of Dubai, including performance indicators under the Public Cleanliness Index, which monitors the cleanliness of streets and public facilities in accordance with the highest international standards.

Circular economy goals

These efforts are also integrated with the Dubai Integrated Waste Management Strategy 2041, which aims to reduce waste generation at source, divert 100% of waste from landfills, and accelerate the transition towards a circular economy.

Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: “Dubai’s continued global leadership as the world’s cleanest city reflects a clear vision supported by sustained institutional efforts and strong partnership between government entities, the private sector, and the community. Cleanliness in Dubai is not only an operational outcome but an established urban culture that reflects the awareness, responsibility, and values of society. It contributes directly to enhancing quality of life for individuals and families and reinforces Dubai’s position as one of the most beautiful, sustainable, and liveable cities in the world.”

Integrated system

Dubai Municipality ensures a comprehensive cleanliness drive around the clock, supported by a modern fleet of 785 vehicles, purpose-built machinery, and specialised equipment, alongside more than 23,300 waste storage and collection units distributed across residential and public areas.

The system is managed by 2,876 sanitation engineers and 280 supervisory and inspection personnel within an integrated operational framework.

The system serves an extensive urban network covering 2,400 kilometres of main roads and highways, 1,419 kilometres of investment zones, and 33.4 kilometres of water canals, in addition to markets, beaches, residential communities, industrial zones, and desert areas.

Pioneering initiatives

Dubai Municipality also leads pioneering initiatives in integrated waste management, most notably the Circle Dubai initiative, which promotes waste reduction, recycling, and adoption of circular economy practices through community participation.

The Municipality manages the Warsan Waste-to-Energy Centre, the largest facility of its kind globally, alongside smart community recycling centres and advanced digital platforms supporting real-time monitoring and operational decision-making through the Clean City Index system.

Collaborative frameworks with private sector partners further strengthen residential waste collection, transport, and recycling services, supported by community engagement initiatives such as the ‘One Hour with a Sanitation Engineer’ programme.

Dubai’s continued recognition as the world’s cleanest city reflects an integrated urban vision that positions cleanliness as a fundamental pillar of sustainability, attractiveness, and prosperity. It reinforces Dubai’s commitment to maintaining a high-quality urban environment that supports wellbeing, strengthens community pride, and advances the emirate’s long-term ambitions for sustainable urban development.