UAE Best Arab Country To Be Born In, Sheikh Mohammed Tweets

The United Arab Emirates has come 18th in a list of the top countries in the world to be born in and first among the Arab world, based on life expectancy, job security and quality of family life.

The survey by the the Economist Intelligence Unit, sister company to The Economist magazine, ranked the top 80 countries in the world in its Where To Be Born Index, 2013.

The results saw the UAE ranked first amongst its neighboring Arab countries, leading the country’s Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum to tweet the news to his 1.3 million followers.

“We aim to be one of the best in the world, and our “Vision 2021” has laid out a clear road map to accomplish this goal,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote on the micro-blogging website.

The Economist, which published the results last week, said the survey “attempts to measure which country will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead.

“Despite the global economic crisis, times have in certain respects never been so good. Output growth rates have been declining across the world, but income levels are at or near historic highs. Life expectancy continues to increase steadily and political freedoms have spread across the globe, most recently in north Africa and the Middle East.”

The study accounted for 11 indicators in total when ranking the top 80 countries, including subjective life-satisfaction surveys as well as objective measures such as wealth, crime, family life and health.

Switzerland came top of the global list with Australia in second and Norway, Sweden and Denmark making up the top five places.

Nigeria came last in the poll.

Top 20 of the Where To Be Born Index, 2013:

1. Switzerland
2. Australia
3. Norway
4. Sweden
5. Denmark
6. Singapore
7. New Zealand
8. Netherlands
9. Canada
10. Hong Kong
11. Finland
12. Ireland
13. Austria
14. Taiwan
15. Belgium
=16. Germany
=16. United States
18. UAE
19. South Korea
20. Israel