8 ways the UAE is killing it

People from around the world dream of living in the United Arab Emirates.

From Dubai to Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah, the country offers economic opportunities, political stability and a developed society that sets an example both within the Arab world and globally.

Here are 8 ways that the UAE is killing it:

For five years in a row, Arab youth have ranked the UAE as their top choice for a country to live in, according to the Arab Youth Survey . Additionally, when asked, which country they wished their country would be more like, the largest number of respondents chose the UAE.

Foreseeing the need to move beyond an oil-based economy, the UAE has been swiftly diversifying its economy into banking, tourism, international trade and various service industries, transforming it into the most diversified economy within the GCC. While the economic base of the country has traditionally been oil, the country has put a strong emphasis on numerous green and alternative energy initiatives.

With the massive expansion of Dubai's airports and the country's top-notch airlines, Emirates and Etihad Airways, the UAE is truly becoming a transit hub between East and West. For the past two years, Dubai International Airport has been the busiest airport in the world for international traffic.

The UAE has made a strong effort to encourage and empower women in all sectors including the military, the government and the private sector. From appointing influential women to the nation's cabinet, to ensuring women serve as officers in its military and to setting aside a day to honor Emirati women, the nation is on track to tackle issues of gender inequality.

One of the dynamic women appointed to the UAE's cabinet is Ohood Al Roumi, the nation's first Minister of State for Happiness . Roumi is charged with driving "government policy to create social good and satisfaction," according to Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid, vice president and prime minster of the UAE.

Even before Roumi was appointed, the UAE was ranked the happiest country in the Arab world according to the United Nations World Happiness Report . Coming in 28th globally in the most recent report, the country leads the region and sits well positioned globally, a sign of the nation's forward thinking development and efforts on the behalf of its residents.

In 2009, the UAE launched its first satellite into space and since then has been working to rapidly expand its space program. The UAE Space Agency was established in 2014 and the UAE has set the ambitious goal of launching a probe to Mars in 2020, which will then arrive on the Red Planet the following year for nation's 50th anniversary.

The UAE has been named as the country to give the largest percentage of its gross national income to official development assistance in the world for the second year running, according to data from the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development . Not only is the nation striving continually to make life better for its citizens and residents, it's also contributing to development projects around the world.