First overall in the Expat Insider 2018 survey, Bahrain is the stand-out performer. Despite stronger-than-average personal finances, expats in the Gulf States struggle with poor job satisfaction and high costs.

• Expats in Bahrain settle in seamlessly and enjoy working abroad.
• Oman is the most peaceful nation among the GCC States.
• Five out of six GCC States are in the bottom 10 for online freedom.
• Kuwait and Saudi Arabia slip to the last two places in the overall ranking.

In terms of quality of life, the Gulf States represent a truly split picture. Bahrain and the UAE offer an above-average quality of life, ranking 20th and 25th, respectively. However, at the opposite end of the spectrum are Saudi Arabia (67th) and Kuwait (68th), which provide the worst quality of life among all 68 countries included in the survey.

The region struggles to perform well in the Health & Well-Being subcategory: the best-performing country is Bahrain, ranking 25th overall, while Kuwait comes second to last. The best and most affordable healthcare in the region can be found in Qatar, where 64% of expats say that the healthcare is affordable, and seven in ten attest to its high quality. These results are tempered by Qatar’s 50th rank for the quality of the environment, though. Oman is the GCC States’ standout performer for this factor, with more than eight in ten (81%) rating the environmental quality well.

Wellbeing and Security is without a doubt the Gulf States' most grounded subcategory, despite the fact that there is again a major dissimilarity between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and alternate nations in the region.0 

The UAE (ninth) and Oman (tenth) both rank in the main 10. An amazing 61% of expats in Oman give the political strength the most ideal rating, while a relatively unrivaled 94% of respondents bear witness to the tranquility of the nation. In the expressions of an Indian expat in Oman: "It is a quiet and agreeable nation, with huge regular excellence and super cordial individuals." 

These outcomes emerge against the individual worldwide midpoints of 30% and 78%. Likewise to Oman, expats in the UAE rate the political strength very (tenth), yet the UAE emerges especially for individual wellbeing, with 97% of expats feeling safe. Both Bahrain and Qatar likewise rank similarly well in the same subcategory, putting 23rd and 21st, individually. 

In the Family Life Index, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait put 49th and 48th out of 50 positioned nations, while Oman doesn't improve, positioning 42nd. Bahrain (seventh) is the main Gulf nation to make it into the best 10, while Qatar (27th) and the UAE (31st) perform marginally underneath normal. 

Bahrain (third) drives the path in the Quality of Education subcategory, trailed by Qatar in a respectable fourteenth place. Guardians rate the quality most exceedingly awful in Saudi Arabia (48th), where very nearly two in each five (39%) are disappointed, contrasted with 16% around the world. Essentially, just 36% of expat guardians are happy with training choices in the nation as a rule, contrasted with a worldwide normal of 67%. In Kuwait, this figure is even lower with 33%. The same can be said in regards to childcare alternatives, with only 39% fulfilled in Saudi Arabia and only 36% in Kuwait.

Across the region, performance is similarly split regarding family well-being. Bahrain (8th), the UAE (21st), and Qatar (23rd) are all found in the top half, with parents there particularly appreciating the local attitude towards families with children (87–95% satisfied vs. 83% globally) and the safety of their children (57–65% give the best possible rating).

In all six Gulf States, finances were among the three most important reasons for expats to move there. Bahrain and Oman lead the GCC States, ranking in 22nd and 24th place out of 68 countries. Qatar (30th) and Saudi Arabia (31st) do not fare too much worse, and certainly much better than Kuwait, which comes in 50th.

The UAE ranks only 59th and is as such in the bottom 10. Only 57% of respondents there are satisfied with their financial situation, compared to 67% globally, and more than a quarter (26%) say that their disposable household income isn’t enough to cover everything needed for daily life. An expat from the Philippines adds that in the UAE, “the salary is not really enough to sustain daily living”.

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