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Despite the economic advantages of the region, the Middle East fails to draw expat lifers

Despite the strong performance of many of the Middle Eastern countries in the Expat Explorer Economics league tables this year, a high proportion of expats in the region are looking to leave their current country. Roughly one third of expats in Saudi Arabia (34%), Qatar (30%) and Oman (29%) are actively looking to leave their current country for either another posting or to return to their home country - a much higher proportion than the global average of one in ten (13%).

However, this high proportion of expats looking to leave is not a result of unfavourable conditions. Expats in these Middle Eastern countries are more likely than average to believe their country is getting better as a place for expats to live and work, and views of the current economic and political outlook remain positive in almost all Middle Eastern countries in comparison to global averages.

Instead, it seems Middle Eastern-based expats retain a much stronger affiliation with their home country than expats in general, which may suggest these expats have always intended to move to the Middle East for a set period of time, before returning to their home country or moving to another expat posting.

This trend is most pronounced in Saudi Arabia, where three quarters (75%) of expats have retained a very strong connection to their home country, but is also replicated across other Middle Eastern nations such as Bahrain (71%), Kuwait (71%), Oman (65%) and Qatar (60%).

As a result, the key drivers behind expats looking to leave the region are in fact changing family needs or simply wanting a change. That said, rising living costs are increasingly important for expats in the region too.

Graph – Expat Sentiment in the Middle East

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