KUWAIT: An expatriate worker arranges items on top of a moving pick up truck’s bed - a violation to Kuwait’s laws. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: In the latest list from Expat Insider, Kuwait, along with Greece and Nigeria, made up the bottom three nations, while Taiwan and Malta topped the list of the world's friendliest countries for expats. The Expat Insider survey from InterNations group provided an in-depth analysis of everyday expat life in more than 60 countries around the globe. The results looked at everything from quality of life to ease of settling in. In Kuwait, foreign recruits made up the greater majority of the survey population at 6 percent. Kuwait has remained at the bottom of the list for more than three years running.

The GCC states' rankings in the Quality of Life Index are, for the most part, among the worst in the world: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait rank 55th, 63rd, and 65th out of 67 countries, with the UAE and Oman standing out at 23 and 32 respectively. Under the Quality of Life index, respondents were asked questions about their satisfaction with their leisure options, travel and transportation, health services, safety and personal happiness.

Under the Ease of Settling index, Kuwait was last in the list. The index analyzed how respondents answered questions related to language barriers and the friendliness of the general populace. Kuwait fared better in the Working Abroad index, where it was placed 47th in the list of the countries with the best job security. However, it was placed at the bottom when it came to work-life balance. Kuwait also ranked near the bottom when it came to affordability and availability of housing for expats. Factors such as the lack of leisure options, political uncertainty and a skewed gender ratio were seen as low points in the regional report for the GCC.

By Aakash Bakaya