Saudi Arabia Ranks 22nd Globally as Quality of Life Sectors Grow

Saudi Arabia ranked 22nd globally in the World Happiness Report 2026, with a life evaluation score of 6.817 out of 10.

The ranking places the Kingdom ahead of the United States in 23rd, Canada in 25th and the United Kingdom in 29th. Finland ranked first, followed by Iceland and Denmark.

In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates ranked 21st, Kuwait 40th, Bahrain 55th, Oman 58th, Egypt 139th and Lebanon 141st.

The World Happiness Report is issued annually in conjunction with the International Day of Happiness on March 20th and is based on survey data across more than 140 countries. It uses indicators including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perceptions of corruption, applying a three-year average to assess life evaluations.

Alongside the ranking, quality of life sectors in Saudi Arabia contributed more than USD 20.5 billion to gross domestic product, attracted over USD 5.8 billion in non-government investment and added more than USD 5.6 billion to non-oil exports.

These figures reflect activity across sectors including tourism, culture, entertainment and sports, which form part of broader efforts to expand non-oil economic contributions. The Quality of Life Program uses the World Happiness Report as one of its reference indicators in measuring progress across these sectors.