Assessing The Happiness Of Middle Easterners

The 2019 World Happiness Report ranked Israel 13^th, down two positions from last year’s survey but still the happiest country in the Middle East. Compiled by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, respondents rate their level of life satisfaction on a scale from one to 10, which the report then correlates to six factors: levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom and corruption. As per other regional states, the United Arab Emirates came in 21^st place, followed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar at 28^th and 29^th, respectively. No other Middle Eastern country placed in the top 50, and the survey found that some of the least happy populations live in the region. Out of a total of 156 nations polled, Jordan was ranked 101^st, the Palestinian territories 110^th, Iran 117^th, Iraq 126^th, Egypt 137^th, Syria 149^th and Yemen 151^st. The report’s release coincided with World Happiness Day, whose theme this year, Happier Together, stresses the need to focus on “what we have in common rather than what divides us.”