Kuwait named worst expat destination

A new study has named Kuwait as the worst place for expats to live in the world for 2016 – the third consecutive year the country has been given the low rating.

The Expat Insider 2016 survey measured quality of life, ease of settling in, personal finance, working abroad and family life.

It showed that Kuwait had went down in each index this year, most notably in the Working Abroad and Personal Finance indices, from a list of 67 countries.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia were also named in the bottom 10 countries to relocate to.

Bahrain was ranked highest of the Persian Gulf countries for expats at 19th, ahead of Oman (22) and the UAE (40), Arabianbusiness.com reported.

Globally, Taiwan, Malta and Ecuador were voted the best destinations for expats.

The survey showed that expats are generally dissatisfied with leisure activities available in the Persian Gulf region. It showed that only the UAE does better than the worldwide average, with 38 percent of expats expressing complete satisfaction with local leisure options while only 5 percent of respondents in Saudi Arabia said the same, added Arabianbusiness.com.

Political instability in the Middle East is a major problem at the moment, and the Persian Gulf States are also affected by it, according to the survey respondents.

In the Ease of Settling index, Oman and Bahrain featured in the global top 15 while Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait ranked 61st, 66th, and 67th out of 67, respectively.

In the Working Abroad index, the best-ranking Persian Gulf countries were again Oman and Bahrain, both featuring among the top 20 worldwide. The UAE came in just above the global average, in 36th place, while the rest (Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia) were all in the bottom 20.

Expats in the region said their top three reasons for relocation are all financial or work related, with the exception of the UAE, where an improved quality of life was another deciding factor.

In the Family Life index, all Persian Gulf States ranked in the bottom 15 out of 45 destinations, with the UAE coming in at 33rd and Saudi Arabia at 44th.

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