Kuwait voted as the worst nation for expats to reside at this moment

Kuwait has been deemed as the least ideal spot for expats to live in 2023.
Stephanie McGehee/Reuters

Kuwait has been ranked as the worst destination for expats to work and live in as a result of the 2023 Expat Insider Survey. The Middle Eastern nation has consistently failed to appease expats and ever since the inaugural edition of the survey in 2014, the country has been voted into last place eight times.

The annual survey was conducted through speaking with over 12,000 expats from around the globe and they were asked for their opinions on the aspects of everyday life in the country they are located in. The categories which contributed to the overall ranking of the nations included social lifestyles, settling in, local culture, finances and housing.

Kuwait’s quality of life was deemed extremely poor to foreigners living there as they were voted as the worst-ranked nation in that specific category in addition to being the worst nation for leisure options. Also, another area that was regarded as having a poor standard was the healthcare landscape, as expats found it to be severely lacking in availability and quality whilst also not being affordable.

It remains hard for foreigners living there to get to know the people better in Kuwait as the nation is regarded as some of the very worst when it comes to the friendliness of the local residents, making new friends and being welcomed by locals. More than a third of the expats have struggled to get adjusted to the local culture whilst just 37 per cent of them are satisfied with the social life they have in Kuwait, less than the 56 per cent figure worldwide.

Furthermore, expats do not feel great about their employment situations in Kuwait as 30 per cent believe they are underpaid for their job, compared to 19 per cent globally. The local work culture is inconvenient as 45 per cent state that it does not provide flexibility, with that much lower globally at 18 per cent.

With regard to finances, 34 per cent are satisfied with the regular living costs required to live assuredly in Kuwait, less than the 44 per cent global figure. Ultimately, less than half (43 per cent) of the expats are pleased with the life they are living in Kuwait, which is much lower than the global figure of 72 per cent.

There are some positives for the expats based in Kuwait such as the process of identifying housing, as just 15 per cent of them have faced difficulties with it. Also, there does not appear to be many issues with the language barrier in Kuwait as just half of the expats can live there with ease despite not speaking Arabic.

Another nation voted as a poor destination for expats was Norway, coming in as the second worst place in this year’s Expat Insider Survey.

A key factor in the Scandinavian country being regarded poorly by expats is financially related. This is because 62 per cent of the expats in Norway feel the cost of living is not great, whilst 37 per cent believe their disposable household earnings do not allow them to live comfortably.

Norway is also a tough place for expats to settle down and be sociable, with nearly a third of them stating that the locals are not friendly to foreigners, whilst just 37 per cent of expats feel at home in Norway.

Some of the positives for the expats in Norway are that 88 per cent are happy with the current political climate, compared to 63 per cent globally, whilst 88 per cent are happy with the high air quality, with a global figure of 66 per cent. Also, there is high job security in Norway, however, that is countered by the fact that expats do not feel optimistic about their own career prospects.

Overall, just 61 per cent of the expats in Norway are happy with the sort of life they have, compared to the 72 per cent global figure.

The third worst destination for expats in 2023 according to the Expat Insider Survey is Turkey. A major issue causing expats in Turkey to be dissatisfied revolves around the employment sector.

In terms of working hours, 30 per cent of expats in Turkey do not find them fulfilling, which is just over double the global average figure of 16 per cent. Also, roughly one out of every four are not happy with their job, particularly due to the lack of career opportunities and not much assurance when it comes to job security.

When it comes to essential services, Turkey is not ideal for expats as there are issues with accessing online services and being able to access fast internet in their homes.

The few redeeming factors for expats out in Turkey is that 44 per cent are happy with the general living costs, which is the same as the worldwide average figure. Also, it can be fairly straightforward for expats to settle down there as 45 per cent believe they can forge friendships with locals easily, just above the international figure of 43 per cent.

Ultimately, 60 per cent of expats in Turkey are happy with the life they get to live there, 12 per cent less than the global percentage figure.

Norway and Turkey are not the only European nations voted amongst the 10 worst places for expats to reside in as Germany, Italy and Malta also made the rankings. The other nations on the list included South Korea, South Africa, New Zealand and Japan, with Britain narrowly avoiding the bottom 10 list by one spot.

On the flip side, some of the best destinations for expats to be based include Mexico, one of the world’s best-rated places in 2023, and were voted in the 2023 Expat Insider Survey as the current top location for foreigners to live. Other highly favoured countries for expats to live in according to the Expat Insider survey included Spain, Panama, Malaysia, Taiwan and more.

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