The UAE is the ninth most generous state in the world, this year’s World Giving Index of 139 states revealed.
The Charities Aid Foundation surveyed 146,000 people in 139 countries to measure their willingness of general populations to help a stranger, donate to charity and volunteer time.
The emirates’ desert metropolis is also becoming more generous, climbing one spot from 10th place in 2016, and topping other Gulf states for their generosity.
In the UAE, 71 percent of respondents admitted to helping a stranger, 55 percent donated to charity, while just 27 percent had volunteered their time.
In the Arabian peninsula Kuwait fell twelve places from 19th in 2016 to 31st, while Saudi Arabia climbed seven places to 48th.
The kingdom scored in the top ten countries most helpful to strangers, with 71% of respondents admitting to helping a stranger.
The survey also found the top 20 most charitable nations in the western world are becoming less giving, with every Western country in the top 20 declining in rank.
Giving behavior in the United States declined as they slipped from second to fifth place, to be replaced by the world’s largest Muslim country, Indonesia, the league of generous states found.
The UK also fell out of the top 10 most generous countries globally, dropping three places to eleventh place the survey said.
For the fourth year running, the tiny Asian country Myanmar remained the most giving country on earth.
The only region bucking the global downwards trend in giving behaviour was Africa, where incomes are on the rise, helping Kenya sweep into fourth place.
Based on the findings, Chief Executive of Charities Aid Foundation, Sir John Low, said the index’s findings debunk perceptions that rich countries are more generous.
“It confounds traditional views of the link between wealth and generosity, confirming what we all surely know: that giving is about spirit and inner motivation, not about financial means.”
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