The UAE has ranked 11 in the Expat Insider 2023 Survey out of 53 destinations.
The survey highlighted the UAE’s strengths in several key areas, propelling it to the top five in three indices.
The UAE shone in the Expat Essentials Index, claiming second place, just behind Bahrain.
Expats praised the country for its ease of living, even without speaking the local language, and expressed high satisfaction with administrative topics.
Notably, 80 percent of respondents found it effortless to obtain a visa, compared to the global average of 57 percent.
In the Quality of Life Index, the UAE ranked fourth place. Expats particularly like the vibrant leisure options, including the culinary variety and nightlife, which scored favorably at 84 percent and 76 percent respectively.
Additionally, the country topped the charts for car infrastructure, with a staggering 93 percent satisfaction rate among expats.
The UAE also fared well in the Working Abroad Index, clinching fourth place overall. It excelled in the Career Prospects Subcategory, coming in second place just behind the United States.
UAE career opportunities, work-life balance
Expats expressed contentment with their personal career opportunities and noted that moving to the UAE had improved their prospects.
However, expats in the UAE expressed dissatisfaction with their work-life balance, with only 57 percent rating it positively, below the global average of 63 percent.
Similarly, only 55 percent of respondents felt fairly compensated for their work based on industry, qualifications, and role.
Half of the expats reported an annual income of less than $25,000, compared to the global average of 33 percent, contributing to the UAE’s 41st place ranking in the Personal Finance Index.
Despite these concerns, the UAE ranked favorably in the Safety & Security and Healthcare subcategories, claiming 9th and 10th places, respectively.
Expats praised the country’s political stability, personal safety, and the availability and quality of medical care.
Overall, 68 percent of expats expressed satisfaction with their lives in the UAE, slightly below the global average of 72 percent.
The survey also highlighted the UAE’s strengths in infrastructure, working abroad, and quality of life, while also indicating areas for improvement in work-life balance and personal finance.
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