The Arab Youth Survey revealed that 42 percent of young people aged 18 to 24 think of trying their luck in a country other than their own, with 15 percent of them have already made their ambition into a reality by taking steps to emigrate.
The survey was carried out in 17 countries in North Africa and the Middle East, in which the youth population accounts for about 200 million people. Those 45 percent of young people who want to leave represent 30 million people.
The driving force behind such a high number of young Arabs considering leaving their country is economic distress, but there is another factor as well, with the overwhelming majority of people citing corruption as the second most compelling reason for migration.
The favorite destination of migrants is the United Arab Emirates, followed by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany. In the survey, conducted by the UAE international research firm PSB, the Emirates has been a popular destination for the past 12 years.
Lebanon features 77 percent of its youth population wanting to migrate, followed by Libya at 69 percent, Yemen at 66 percent, and Iraq at 65 percent.