UAE: United Arab Emirates Named Happiest Nation In The Gulf Region

The United Arab Emirates UAE has recently been dubbed as the happiest nation in the Gulf region and the 21st ranked among all the countries in the world

According to World Happiness Report of 2017, the UAE has upped 7 slots from previously being in the 28th spot to the 21st effectively making it the happiest country in the region followed by Qatar at 35th, Saudi Arabia at 37th, Kuwait at 39th, and Bahrain at 41st places.

The report ranked 157 countries based on happiness levels using factors such as per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and social support.

The parameters measured to determine the rankings are based on six factors — per capita gross domestic product, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, social support, and absence of corruption in government or business.

Meanwhile, overall, Norway displaced Denmark as the world’s happiest country.

Happy countries are the ones that have a healthy balance of prosperity, as conventionally measured, and social capital, meaning a high degree of trust in a society, low inequality and confidence in government, Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the SDSN and a special advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General, said in an interview.

He also praised UAE for putting up a Ministry of Happiness and coerced other nations to follow its suit.

The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness. The World Happiness Report 2017, which ranks 155 countries by their happiness levels, will be released today at the United Nations at an event celebrating International Day of Happiness.

The report, the fifth one to come out since 2012, continues to gain global recognition as governments, organizations and civil society increasingly use happiness indicators to inform their policy-making decisions.

In addition to the rankings, this year’s report includes an analysis of happiness in the workplace and a deeper look at China and Africa.

The first World Happiness Report was published in April, 2012, in support of the UN High Level Meeting on happiness and well-being.

Since then the world has come a long way. Increasingly, happiness is considered to be the proper measure of social progress and the goal of public policy.

Now on the International Day of Happiness, March 20th, we launch the World Happiness Report 2017, once again back at the United Nations, again published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and now supported by a generous three-year grant from the Ernesto Illy Foundation.