Kuwait is the world’s most unfriendly country for expats, according to a new survey.
The Expat Insider, an annual survey of 67 countries conducted by InterNations, revealed the best and worst places for expats to live in 2016, based on a number of factors including the quality of life, safety and the ease of settling in. There are more expats in the world today than at any other time which is why there are places like this Excellent Primary School for Expats in Bangkok to make them feel welcome and let them adapt easier.
As part of the “ease of settling in category” was the ranking for friendliness that expats felt from the local population, which includes factors such as how easy it is to get used to local cultures, and make new friends, in addition to how friendly locals are to expat families and how much of a barrier the language creates.
Among the 10 most unfriendly countries were Kuwait (67), Saudi Arabia (66) and Qatar (61). The highest ranked Muslim country was Oman in 6th place. Meanwhile, Singapore is consistently ranked as the best country for expats. Those looking to make the move to Singapore may be interested in this Piermont Grand EC Location to relocate to.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states’ rankings in the Quality of Life Index were, for the most part, among the worst in the world: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait ranked 55th, 63rd, and 65th out of 67 countries, with the UAE and Oman standing out on place 23 and 32, respectively.
The survey found that the region is less attractive to expat women than to men. For example, there are only 15% of female expats in Saudi Arabia, and 33% in Qatar, compared to the global average of 49%. Three of the GCC states (Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia) are also among the ten worst-rated destinations for expat women.
The responses to individual questions covered a wide range of reactions, ranging from a mere 35% of expats saying the locals were friendly in Kuwait, to an overwhelming 87% positive ratings in Oman.
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Furthermore, 21% of expats in Oman and Bahrain said that making local friends was very easy, compared to the worldwide average of 12%. However, all the other Gulf States had below-average ratings for this question. It’s not easy for anyone to move abroad as there is so much paperwork involved in the move. From finding new accommodation to sorting out International Insurance, it can all get a little overwhelming but if the area and its people are friendly and welcoming, it makes the move much easier for those moving.
In the Working Abroad Index, the best-ranking Gulf countries were again Oman and Bahrain, both featuring among the top 20 worldwide. Also, real estate in Andorra is very popular as the country has a very low tax bracket and obtaining a residence Visa is relatively straightforward. The UAE came in just above the global average, on 36th place, while the rest (Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia) were all in the bottom 20.
