Expats in Bahrain have given a thumbs up to life in the kingdom in a new index that assesses the living and working conditions of people working abroad.
Bahrain is ranked 15th out of 52 countries covered in the Expat Insider Survey 2022 by Munich-based InterNations, the world’s largest expat community with more than four million members.
Among the GCC countries, Bahrain is ranked in third spot, with the UAE taking the lead being ranked at 6th overall, followed by Oman (12), Qatar (26), Saudi Arabia (27) and Kuwait is ranked at the bottom of the index (52).
A total of 11,970 expats representing 177 nationalities and living in 181 countries or territories were surveyed in the latest findings. The survey collected feedback on key parameters that includes expats’ satisfaction with the Quality of Life, Ease of Settling In, Working Abroad, and Personal Finance in their respective country of residence.
For the first time, the ranking also includes the new Expat Essentials Index, which covers digital life, housing and language, among other categories. These findings were further averaged together with expats’ general happiness with their life abroad. In the 2021 survey, Bahrain was ranked 12th, prior to the methodology adding the subcategories.
Expats voted Bahrain first in the Expat Essentials Index but rank it among the bottom 10 for Personal Finance (46th). “While the country has fairly average results for Quality of Life (23rd) and Working Abroad (30th), it performs very well when it comes to the Ease of Settling In (12th),” stated the survey’s findings. “Overall, 61 per cent of expats are happy with their life in Bahrain, compared to 71pc globally.”
Mexico , Indonesia, Taiwan Portugal, Spain, the UAE, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, and Singapore make up the top 10 destinations.
The worst destinations for expats alongside Kuwait were New Zealand, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Japan, South Africa, Türkiye, Italy and Malta.
Expats stated that dealing with administrative issues can be a pain when you move abroad, but residents in Bahrain have no trouble with such topics, voting the country second in this subcategory.
Expats find it easy to open a local bank account (85pc vs 64pc globally), deal with local bureaucracy (67pc vs 40pc globally), and obtain a visa before moving to Bahrain (70pc vs 56pc globally). Housing (10th) and Language (4th) subcategories are further highlights in this index.
More than four in five expats (82pc) report that it is easy to find housing in Bahrain (vs 54pc globally), and the same share finds it easy to live there without speaking the local language (vs 51pc globally).
The Ease of Settling In Index (12th) is another high point for expats in Bahrain. The majority feels that making local friends is easy (57pc vs 42pc globally).
“Respondents describe the local population as generally friendly towards foreign residents (77pc vs 65pc globally), helping place Bahrain 10th in the Local Friendliness subcategory,” stated the survey. However, just 4pc of expats are mainly friends with local residents (vs 17pc globally).
Another 60pc describe their friends and acquaintances as a fairly mixed group (vs 49pc globally), and 37pc mainly spend time with other expats (vs 33pc globally).
An expat from Kyrgyzstan says that ‘meeting with people around Bahrain and sharing each other’s experiences’ is a highlight of her life abroad.
Bahrain only narrowly misses out on a top 10 spot in the Culture and Welcome subcategory (11th). And indeed, 75pc of expats say that it is easy to get used to the local culture (vs 62pc globally), and 70pc feel welcome in Bahrain (vs 66pc globally).
“It is very easy to integrate,” says an expat from Malaysia. “I do not feel like a stranger here.”
It’s not all praise in the report, as when it comes to the Quality-of-Life Index (23rd), Bahrain receives mixed results, particularly in the Environment and Climate Subcategory (39th). Expats rank the kingdom in the bottom 10 (49th) for the natural environment (aspects such as nature, scenery, and wildlife). It also ranks below average for the urban environment, as over one in four (27pc) are unhappy with this factor (vs 17pc globally). However, 70pc believe that the government supports policies to protect the environment (vs 61pc globally).
Other than that, expats in Bahrain especially appreciate the culinary variety and dining options (7th), as well as the easy access to all the kinds of healthcare services they need (4th).
In the lack of job security and financial struggles category more than one-in-four (28pc) are now dissatisfied with their job security, compared to 20pc globally, and 17pc do not see a purpose in their work (vs 9pc globally).
While the share of those working full-time is a lot higher than the global average (95pc vs 83pc globally), and their average working hours per week are longer (44.3 hours vs 40.2 hours globally).
“Expats in Bahrain also earn less than those in other destinations: there is a particularly high share of expats in Bahrain with a gross yearly income of less than $12,000 (26pc vs 18pc globally),” according to the survey.
On the other hand, only 11pc of respondents in Bahrain earn more than $100,000 per year, which is about half the global average (21pc). This is also reflected in the Personal Finance Index (46th). Three-in-10 expats (30pc) state that their disposable household income is not enough to lead a comfortable life (vs 28pc globally), and one-in-four (25pc) is unsatisfied with their financial situation (vs 21pc globally).
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