[Middle East] Bahrain and UAE top best expat countries list

A new index has revealed that Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar rank among the top 10 best countries for expats, Arabian Business reports.

Bahrain ranked number one in the Expat Essentials Index by InterNations, followed by UAE in second place and Singapore in third place. Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar ranked in fifth, seventh and eighth places, respectively.

The Expat Essentials Index is reportedly comprised of 52 destinations that make life abroad most manageable and those that make life most challenging for foreign residents.

The index is based on data from the Expat Insider 2022 survey by InterNations which revealed that all top three destinations “offer easy communication with the lack of a language barrier, while also posing minimal bureaucratic issues.”

Bahrain’s admin topics subcategory is a “highlight for expats”, according to index data.

About two in three (67 per cent) reportedly said that it is easy to deal with the local authorities, 27 percentage points over the global average (40 per cent).

The island country’s visa issues also pose very few problems, the report said. 70 per cent of respondents said that it is “easy to get a visa to move there” compared to 56 per cent globally.

For its ‘Digital Life’, Bahrain ranks “below the global average for unrestricted access to online services, such as social media but lands in a top 10 spot for the availability of government services online,” the report said.

In addition, the majority of Bahrain expats reportedly said that it is “easy” to find housing, compared to expats globally. However, only 39 per cent find housing in Bahrain affordable.

Expats in Bahrain are seemingly not held back by language barriers; 82 per cent said it is easy to live there without speaking the local language(s).globally

Expat perception of life in the UAE

Regarding the UAE, expats reportedly feel able to transition smoothly through its offerings. The nation’s ‘Language Subcategory’ is a major highlight for the UAE. 40 per cent of expats said that learning the local language is easy.

85 per cent of expats also find living in UAE “easy” without speaking the local language(s).

According to the index expats are “very pleased” with the way Admin Topics are handled in the UAE, voting the country as number one worldwide for the ease of obtaining a visa to relocate there.

61 per cent of respondents also said that it is easy to deal with the local bureaucracy in the UAE, compared to the global 40 per cent.

The UAE received mixed results in the ‘Digital Life Subcategory’ but expats voted the country third out of 52 for the “availability of administrative services online, as well as 10th for the ease of getting high-speed internet access at home.”

However, in terms of unrestricted access to online services, the UAE reportedly ranks 49th and this is particularly the case for social media, “In fact, 19 percent of expats do not feel that they have unrestricted access there, almost triple the global average (7 per cent).”

When it comes to housing, 75 per cent of expats consider it “easy” to find housing in the country, however, only 38 per cent say that it is affordable.

The report also stated that expats struggle the most with ‘getting started’ in Germany (52), Japan (51), and China (50), as they “struggle” with the local language and a lack of modern digitalisation.

Source: Arabian Business

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

A new index has revealed that Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar rank among the top 10 best countries for expats, Arabian Business reports.

Bahrain ranked number one in the Expat Essentials Index by InterNations, followed by UAE in second place and Singapore in third place. Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar ranked in fifth, seventh and eighth places, respectively.

The Expat Essentials Index is reportedly comprised of 52 destinations that make life abroad most manageable and those that make life most challenging for foreign residents.

The index is based on data from the Expat Insider 2022 survey by InterNations which revealed that all top three destinations “offer easy communication with the lack of a language barrier, while also posing minimal bureaucratic issues.”

Bahrain’s admin topics subcategory is a “highlight for expats”, according to index data.

About two in three (67 per cent) reportedly said that it is easy to deal with the local authorities, 27 percentage points over the global average (40 per cent).

The island country’s visa issues also pose very few problems, the report said. 70 per cent of respondents said that it is “easy to get a visa to move there” compared to 56 per cent globally.

For its ‘Digital Life’, Bahrain ranks “below the global average for unrestricted access to online services, such as social media but lands in a top 10 spot for the availability of government services online,” the report said.

In addition, the majority of Bahrain expats reportedly said that it is “easy” to find housing, compared to expats globally. However, only 39 per cent find housing in Bahrain affordable.

Expats in Bahrain are seemingly not held back by language barriers; 82 per cent said it is easy to live there without speaking the local language(s).globally

Expat perception of life in the UAE

Regarding the UAE, expats reportedly feel able to transition smoothly through its offerings. The nation’s ‘Language Subcategory’ is a major highlight for the UAE. 40 per cent of expats said that learning the local language is easy.

85 per cent of expats also find living in UAE “easy” without speaking the local language(s).

According to the index expats are “very pleased” with the way Admin Topics are handled in the UAE, voting the country as number one worldwide for the ease of obtaining a visa to relocate there.

61 per cent of respondents also said that it is easy to deal with the local bureaucracy in the UAE, compared to the global 40 per cent.

The UAE received mixed results in the ‘Digital Life Subcategory’ but expats voted the country third out of 52 for the “availability of administrative services online, as well as 10th for the ease of getting high-speed internet access at home.”

However, in terms of unrestricted access to online services, the UAE reportedly ranks 49th and this is particularly the case for social media, “In fact, 19 percent of expats do not feel that they have unrestricted access there, almost triple the global average (7 per cent).”

When it comes to housing, 75 per cent of expats consider it “easy” to find housing in the country, however, only 38 per cent say that it is affordable.

The report also stated that expats struggle the most with ‘getting started’ in Germany (52), Japan (51), and China (50), as they “struggle” with the local language and a lack of modern digitalisation.

Source: Arabian Business

(Link and quotes via original reporting)