UAE, Saudi Arabia ranked 'most empathetic countries in the world’

Dubai: The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are three of the most empathetic countries in the world, according to a recent study.

The report, published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, was released by researchers who carried out an online survey of 104,000 people from 63 countries.

The survey measured people's ability to imagine another's point of view and their tendency toward compassion.

Saudi Arabia was ranked the second most empathetic country, following Ecuador. The report ranked the UAE at fifth and Kuwait at 10th.

Dr William Chopik, an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University who conducted the survey with staff from the University of Chicago and Indiana University, said this is the first study to rank countries in terms of empathy.

But Chopik explained that the team, “only grabbed a snapshot of what empathy looks like at this very moment,” as cultures are constantly changing.

“This is particularly true of the United States, which has experienced really large changes in things like parenting practices and values,” he said.

The US was ranked seventh.   

“People are struggling more than ever to form meaningful close relationships. So, sure, the United States is seventh on the list, but we could see that position rise or fall depending on how our society changes in the next 20-50 years,” he said.

Researchers also added that the survey did not distinguish between empathy for people in other countries, or empathy in one’s own country.

Lithuania was ranked as the least empathetic country in the world, while seven out of the bottom 10 were in Eastern Europe.

Top 10 most empathetic countries in the world