Oman is one of top 2 GCC countries for quality of life

Muscat: Expats in Oman enjoy the best quality of life in the GCC, second only to Bahrain, according to a new report that documents the lives of expatriate workers across the world.
The 2017 Expat Insider Report by InterNations, the world’s largest online expat community, which tries to make life for expatriates abroad easier by allowing them to connect with each other and share opinions and ideas of life overseas, has ranked Oman second in the GCC and 17^th globally, when it comes to the top expat destinations of 2017.
Of the 65 countries polled, Oman topped the GCC rankings in terms of peacefulness — finishing sixth globally — and placed 7^th in terms of political stability, with only the neighbouring United Arab Emirates finished ahead of it in the region.
The Sultanate was also regionally ranked second when it came to expats settling in: while Bahrain topped the global rankings, Oman was ranked sixth across both ease of settling in, and overcoming the language barrier.
“Now in its fourth year, Expat Insider is one of the largest surveys worldwide,” said Philipp von Plato and Malte Zeeck, co-founders of InterNations. “More than 12,500 respondents representing 166 nationalities and living in 188 countries or territories answered our questions, providing unique insights into what it means to be an expat in 2017.
“Our ranking of 65 destinations is based on how these countries were rated by their expat residents,” they added. “We looked at more than 40 individual factors that influence an expat’s experience of living in a foreign country, from family life to finances. The picture that emerges is an interesting one.”
Expats who lived in Oman also felt the country had a very high friendliness factor, which meant the Sultanate led the GCC in terms of locals making them feel welcome and finding friends. As expected, Oman also scored really well on the work-life balance index, finishing 9^th globally and second regionally, with Bahrain once again the only GCC nation to lead Oman in this category.
Oman was also ranked 29^th globally in terms of expats’ abilities to improve their own financial situation, and cost of living, reflecting the relatively low start-up costs towards expats moving to the Sultanate, when compared to the rest of the GCC.
“This year, it was time to focus on life outside the office,” explained von Plato and Zeeck. “Respondents told us about their social circle to reveal whether there really is an expat bubble, they also shared whether they’d been made to feel unwelcome in their new country, and if so, why.”
“Today, there are an estimated 56 or 57 million expatriates worldwide, and the term ‘expat’ is no longer limited to corporate assignees relocating from a company’s HQ,” they added. “We not only asked respondents about where they moved, but why. Some moved for their career, some for love, and others just for the adventure. Combined with key demographic data, the Expat Insider survey gives a unique, detailed look at what life is like abroad.”
Bahrain was ranked first in the GCC, and the world, with Oman finishing second in the region and 17^th globally. The UAE was 3^rd (26^th globally), with Qatar (58^th globally), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (61^st) and Kuwait (64^th) all following suit.