‘Amicable ties in Bahrain higher than global average’

Manama : Bahrain is one of the friendliest places in the world, according to a new survey. Friendliness of local population in Bahrain is higher than global average, said the InterNations Expat Insider 2016 survey. 

Researchers interviewed around 14,000 expatriates from 191 countries and territories in what was one of the most comprehensive studies of expatriate life around the world. Bahrain was ranked 19th in the survey which quizzed expatriates about many aspects of life in the country they reside. 

Expats were enquired about family life, career prospects and the attitude of locals etc. 

GCC countries Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait were ranked at the bottom 10 while UAE was ranked 40. Oman was the only other Middle East country that secured high rank. Bahrain was ranked 12th in the Ease of Settling Index of the survey, and 16th in the ‘friendliness’ subcategory of the index. 

The results among the various destinations in the Ease of Settling Index varied greatly: Oman and Bahrain featured in the global top 15 while Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait ranked at the bottom of the index. 

“About 35pc of expats say the locals are friendly in Kuwait, while about 87pc expats gave positive ratings about Oman. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are also below the worldwide average of 69pc, with a respective 47pc and 38pc of positive respondents. Moreover, 21pc of expats in Oman and Bahrain say that making local friends is very easy, compared to the worldwide average of 12pc,” the report said. 

“However, most expats in the region (between 56pc and 74pc) agree that it is not necessary to speak Arabic to get by everyday life, especially in Bahrain, Oman, and the UAE, where Arabic and English are the main business languages. In Saudi Arabia, only 43pc of the respondents think it’s easy to get by without speaking the language, the same proportion as the global average,” it added.