Bahrain first best destination for expats in MENA, ninth in world

TDT | Manama                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has achieved a new milestone by ranking first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and ninth in the world as the best destination for expatriates, according to the Expat Insider 2023 report by InterNations.

Bahrain has also been ranked first in the world in the Expatriate Basics Index for the second year in a row, reflecting its competitive position as a preferred destination for living and working.

The report highlights Bahrain’s ease of securing daily vital services, a supportive environment for investors, and a continuous improvement in social life, making it a preferred destination for expatriates. It said that administrative requirements do not constitute an obstacle to living in the Kingdom.

Nine out of ten (86%) said that opening a bank account is easy (compared to the global rate of 62%), while 59% of expatriates praised the ease of dealing with official authorities (compared to 39% globally).

In addition to its superiority over the global average in terms of stability, the respondents also considered that not speaking the local language constituted an obstacle to achieving this stability and that the Kingdom enjoys an environment supported by innovation and creativity.

The respondents noticed a continuous improvement in the social life in Bahrain and ranked it in sixth place as a country where it is easy to make friends. This indicator reflects the importance of a supportive environment that investors can rely on.

It is a major attraction factor when making investment decisions in the Kingdom, benefiting from its commercial position that extends for more than four thousand years, relying on its investment components supported by the skilled local workforce, and its regulatory environment that supports business sectors, in addition to the abundance of basic services and ease of access to them for residents and visitors.

InterNations celebrates the tenth anniversary since the release of the Expat Insider Survey, which is one of the most important global surveys based on data drawn from more than 12,000 participants representing 171 nationalities and living in 172 countries around the world.