In recent years, the UAE has been taking major steps to >promote happiness ... and it seems as though it has been paying off.
The country made it to the top 20 happiest countries in the world, according to a recently released World Happiness Report 2018, which ranks 156 countries around the world based on happiness.
The UAE was the only Arab country to make it to the top 20 in the ranking.
Ohoud bint Khalfan Al Roumi, the UAE's Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing, expressed joy at the country's achievement.
"The concerted efforts and achievements made by federal and local government entities in the UAE to incorporate a culture of happiness and wellbeing in their environments and make it an important objective in their daily work was a key catalyst to rank the UAE as the 20th happiest country in the World Happiness Report," she said, according to Arabian Business.
"The happiest country in the Arab world for the 4th consecutive year"
In 2017, the UAE ranked as the 21st happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report 2017.
In the past four years, the country has outranked other Arab countries in terms of its residents' happiness.
Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has previously voiced the nation's goal in reaching the top of that ranking within the coming years.
According to the >2015 Arab Youth Survey, more young Arab people want to live in the UAE than in any other country in the world.
Telecom companies celebrated the news with "Happy UAE"
And lots of people were wondering what it's all about
One word: PRIDE
"Proud being Emirati"
Where did other Arab countries land in the ranking?
Followed by the UAE, Qatar is considered to be the 2nd happiest Arab country (No. 32 globally.)
Here's a breakdown of the remaining Arab countries, from happiest to least happy.
- Saudi Arabia (No. 33)
- Bahrain (No. 43)
- Kuwait (No. 45)
- Libya (No. 70)
- Algeria (No. 84)
- Morocco (No. 85)
- Lebanon (No. 88)
- Jordan (No. 90)
- Somalia (No. 98)
- Palestine (No. 104)
- Tunisia (No. 111)
- Iraq (No. 117)
- Egypt (No. 122)
- Mauritania (No. 126)
- Sudan (No. 137)
- Syria (No. 150)
- Yemen (No. 152)
Comoros, Djibouti, and Oman are excluded from the original ranking.
Check the >full report to see how they rank in terms of happiness under the "foreign born" category.
Globally, Finland ranked as the happiest country in the world.
UAE's happiness initiative
In February of 2016, the UAE showed its commitment to making its citizens and residents happy by >appointing its first-ever minister of happiness.
The Ministry of Happiness, led by Minister Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, is all about promoting and sustaining happiness throughout the UAE.
In March 2017, the UAE >launched the World Happiness Council which aims to improve the state of happiness throughout the UAE and across the world, focusing on health, education, environment, personal happiness, happy cities, and community standards for happiness.
That's not all.
A "happiness district" is also being built and is being described as an "innovative concept in urban living that aims to create a city that is based on the happiness and wellbeing of people."
The development will uniquely address residents' everyday needs by creating a highly pedestrian friendly city with plenty of parking spots and enough entry points to eliminate traffic congestion.