The UAE has once again topped the world's countries most young Arabs wish to live in, with 35 per cent citing the Emirates as their first and foremost preference, a significant increase of 13 per cent points over last year, a report said.

With a significant increase in the nation's popularity compared to previous years, the findings of the ninth annual ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey 2017, have kept the UAE for the sixth year on a row at the pinnacle of choices for young Arabs to live in, reported WAM, the Emirates official news agency.

In another credit to the much-coveted living standard of the country, the UAE again topped other world nations when 36 per cent of young Arabs said the UAE is their model country, when asked about which state they would like their country to emulate, compared to 23 per cent last year. The US came in second place, with 15 per cent, Saudi Arabia and Canada with 14 per cent, and Germany on the fifth position with 13 per cent.

Looking at the geopolitical situation, a third of young Arab surveyed across 16 countries said the UAE and Saudi Arabia are the top allies of their country, with 36 per cent of them putting the UAE slightly ahead of Saudi Arabia, 34 per cent, an increase of 8 percentage points from 2016.

Sunil John, founder & CEO of ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller, said that the survey has consistently reported the UAE as the most desired place for young Arabs to live in and to emulate.

This is a testament to the success of the nation's model of economic diversification and its focus on creating job opportunities and driving the entrepreneurial skills of young people. Young Arabs see the UAE as a beacon of hope and by endorsing its development model, they are applauding the vision of the country's wise leadership, he noted.