Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE has climbed to 21st place in the 2025 World Happiness Report, making it the top-ranked country in the Arab world.
This annual assessment, powered by Gallup World Poll data, was released on Thursday to mark the UN's International Day of Happiness.
Country rankings are based on a three-year average of each population's self-assessed quality of life. Interdisciplinary experts from various fields examined factors such as GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support, freedom, generosity, and corruption perceptions to explain variations across countries and over time.
The UAE, with a score of 6.759, has moved up from 22nd place in 2024, surpassing countries like Germany, the UK, the US, Poland, France, and Singapore. Finland continues to lead the rankings for the eighth consecutive year, with an average life satisfaction score of 7.736 (out of 10).
Key positive indicators for the UAE include perceptions of the job market, economic conditions, and living standards.
Julie Ray, Managing Editor for World News at Gallup, told Aletihad: "The UAE continues to rank highly due to its strong economy, high levels of social support, and robust infrastructure."
"If you look at rates of volunteering – which we know is related to higher happiness – those rates in the UAE have been at record levels for a few years."
Kindness and Generosity
Notably, the UAE ranks 16th globally in donating money, 19th in the world for volunteering time, and 67th for helping a stranger. The country also ranks 12th for believing a stranger would return a lost wallet and 13th for trusting the police to do the same.
The report found that being kind and expecting kindness from others - believing that your wallet would be returned if you lost it - are stronger predictors of happiness than avoiding major negative events like crime or economic hardship.
Ray noted that researchers for the World Happiness Report found that benevolent acts deliver greater benefits when they involve the three Cs: caring connections, choice, and a clear positive impact.
"Societies that help foster these can create a ripple of kindness that could turn into a wave," she said.
"When people feel socially connected through their giving, the happiness effect is amplified. Simply put, giving is more fulfilling when it strengthens relationships and creates more connections. Think of your immediate community - your friends, your family, your neighbours," Ray said.
She also pointed out that the emotional rewards of giving are greater when individuals voluntarily choose how to help others rather than feeling obligated to do so and when they are able to see the tangible impact of their generosity.
"When you can see the difference that you're making in someone's life, it feels better. With volunteering, you can see that instantly."
"Countries that promote these aspects of benevolence tend to experience lower rates of despair-related deaths and higher social trust," Ray added.
The World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and an independent editorial board.
