Turning Forty

A new decade works as a fresh start. People approaching a new decade reflect more on the meaning of their lives, and dates that open a new chapter make goals easier to begin: in one study, nine enders were overrepresented among first time marathon runners by 48 per cent. The effect is modest for any one person, so it works best with a specific goal and a date.

What the report found

1. Forty sits at the heart of the UAE's population. More than half the people of Abu Dhabi are aged between 25 and 44, and the median age is 33. Dubai passed 4 million residents in 2025. Since December 2025, Emiratis aged 40 and over in Dubai can book free cancer screening through the Stay Well After Forty programme.
2. A new decade prompts a search for meaning. People approaching a new decade, at 29, 39 or 49, reflect more on the meaning of their lives. In one study, they were overrepresented among first time marathon runners by 48 per cent, and runners at these ages finished faster than in the years around them.
3. Birthdays work as fresh starts. Dates that open a new chapter separate the old self from the new one and make goals easier to begin. In a study of university gym records, visits rose by about 7.5 per cent after a birthday.
4. Midlife is debated, and the forties look brighter than the myth. Studies that compare people of different ages find a dip in happiness around midlife. Studies that follow the same people for years find that happiness rises into the thirties and stays high into the early forties.
5. With age, priorities move towards what matters most. As time ahead feels more precious, people put emotionally meaningful goals and close relationships first, and everyday emotional life tends to improve. In the UAE, more than 3 million people took part in the Dubai Fitness Challenge in 2025, giving the urge to change a place to start.

What is inside

1. The moment
2. Before: the approach of a new decade
3. During: the birthday and the goal
4. The decisions that shift
5. How the moment is lived across the Gulf
6. What lasts

Plus a phase map of the moment, an illustrated year around a fortieth birthday and a data panel of UAE and Gulf figures.

Who it is for

For anyone approaching a milestone birthday and their families, and for health services, employers, gyms and event organisers in the UAE and the Gulf.

How we work

Moment Reports look at how people think and decide at particular points in the year or in life, starting with the UAE and then the wider Gulf. Every claim is graded Established, Emerging or Untested, and where researchers disagree, both sides are set out before we say where we stand.

Cite this report

The Why We Project (2026) Turning Forty: Milestone birthdays and the urge to change. Moment Report No. 13. Dubai: Why We Tech Ltd. Available at: thewhyweproject.com