Internations released their list for “The Best and Worst Countries for Expats in 2025” and Kuwait once again is at the bottom of it. They have a section dedicated to why that is and it’s for all the reasons you expect, weather, pollution, lack of a nightlife, and lack of good public transportation:
An Insular Society in Kuwait (46th)
No stranger to last place is Kuwait in 46th. Not only are the Quality of Life and Ease of Settling In Indices also in last place, but so is expats’ overall happiness with their life in Kuwait (46th). And at 10 percentage points higher than the global average, 17% of expats plan to leave the country within a year.
The majority of respondents (70%) moved to Kuwait for job-related reasons (vs. 36% globally); in fact, 93% are working full time (vs. 56% globally). Yet the Working Abroad Index is in the bottom 10 (38th). Although the state of the economy is strong (8th), expats aren’t satisfied with their job security (45th) or work–life balance (44th) and don’t agree that they’re paid fairly for their work (44th).
Indeed, 38% of expats in Kuwait don’t feel their disposable household income is enough to lead a comfortable life (vs. 31% globally). And around the same share as the global average is satisfied with their financial situation (56% vs. 54%). So although Personal Finance is Kuwait’s best-performing index, it’s in a below-average 29th place.
Expats’ biggest concern before moving was the climate & weather (43% vs. 16% globally). Once there, about half (49%) give this factor a negative rating. And there’s no pleasant natural environment (46th), urban environment (42nd), or good air quality (44th) to distract from the desert heat. Other subcategories of the Quality of Life similarly disappoint with the lack of culture & nightlife (46th), public transportation (39th), and opportunity to travel (42nd). The availability of healthcare (26th) and the dining options (24th) are at least less dire.
For the full article, click here.
32 replies on “Kuwait Still the Worst Country for Expats in 2025”
I am so grateful I got out of Kuwait. I hope others find the courage to get out of there as well. Only expats without any other alternative would choose to endure the abuse of this country (and those who were born there and still believe the lie that this is their home).
I have alternatives, but I choose to live in Kuwait, it’s been really great to me and my family. It is my home and yeah even though it’s not perfect it’s got its advantages and benefits over other places. Maybe you didn’t have a good experience and I’m sure a lot of other people didn’t like living here but there are as many expats who have the opposite experience.
let’s make it easy. White passing or kuwaiti passing people have a better experience than others
You’ve made it very clear here on the blog over the past decade about your negative experience in Kuwait. Doesn’t mean everyone has or had the same experience as you. It doesn’t matter if you’re not white or Kuwaiti.
not correct. the majority of our expat population are not represented by middle and upper class people. The labour class is far vaster. So there are not an equal number of people on both sides.
I didn’t mean it literally 50/50 🤦🏼♂️
I completely disagree. I have been here for over 15 years from choice, with many alternatives.
Kuwait is far from perfect, but it is a lot less imperfect than UK and most of Europe.
I do get that different people have different experience and my UK passport gives me blessings and benefits that others do not get, but instead of moaning about how bad it is it is far easier to support good causes here making a difference to lives (both human and animals) than to just be a keyboard warrior complaining about its lack of x, y and z.
In Kuwait you quickly understand where your rank is. People who work Labour Jobs seem like NPCs but People above you see you as an NPC as well. Things are different for sons of Kuwaiti women, daughters of Kuwaiti women and also husbands of Kuwaiti women. You can live in Kuwait as an Expat for a very long time, but you should not forget, the laws make it that you are there to work, not to live your life. Hence, make money and move. It is what it is. No fault on the country, it is the way things are. This does not mean you can not enjoy your time there. Kuwait “May” seem like home for many expats but it’s a home they can never own and always pay rent for.
Well put together
No one is surprised by this. I’m sure next year it will somehow be worse because of the effect of the exit permit. It’s also not an accident, this seems like a concerted effort by the government.
This is my home but I must agree there is obvious efforts underway. There are so many well established companies that are barely scraping by now and I believe it will get worse. Doesn’t matter if it’s an expat or Kuwaiti company, something is up. I also believe the upcoming recession will be the final blow to many companies here.
Waiting for someone to comment ‘If you don’t like it, leave’
Just so you don’t feel left out. If you don’t like it, LEAVE!
Happy now?
Very, thank you.
Kuwaitis have this hilariously unfounded superiority complex, which makes many of them absolutely unbearable.
You’d be surprised that this is mostly the same world wide. It’s just in Kuwait that laws make it like there is a huge line between expats and Kuwaitis. Heck right now the laws are different amongst Kuwaiti people themselves. It’s a 7 class citizenship system. 7!!
If you live long enough in Kuwait you understand why people don’t wanna leave. Life seems like a simulation, things are easy to buy, life is inexpensive and lavish.
It pushes the boundaries of how you can live. For example, moving back to Canada, actually growing up in Canada I’ve always liked 4 cylinder cars. That’s mainly because of gas prices. My cousin’s in Kuwait would like mustangs and vetts, I would like Civics and the WRXs. In Kuwait id look at a cars horsepower figures, in Canada I’d look at MPG.
I recently visited and was offered the chance to moved back, very good salary. I started doing research and looked at cars. I immediately started looking and bit by bit looked at bigger cars with bigger engines. Gas was not a factor because in Canada it’s 4 times the price. There is a sense of freedom I guess.
So for expats who live in Kuwait they see things differently from tourists. But again, the main mistake that expats do in Kuwait is they live like they are Kuwaiti. Like it’s their country. It’s not. It’s a transit area. Enjoy it, make the best of it and like the labour workers who work there, build something for yourself in your own country. Even if you never leave, you never know what’s gonna happen and there have been many stories, even on this blog, of expats deported over not having a driving license. Like that British expat story Mark shared long back.
I know teachers who are expats from Canada. Worked in Kuwait for 10-15 years had their accommodations paid for them, saved as much as they could and moved back to Canada with close to 1 million dollars Canadian.
In summary, in Kuwait don’t be optimistic or pessimistic. Don’t even be realistic because reality (laws) change pretty frequently, Be opportunistic. Not greedy, or rude, be respectful and make that money…..and save it.
May the odds be ever in your favor
This….
Word! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better explanation of what the Kuwait life is all about ! I’m saving this for later reference. You hit the nail on every aspect. The fact that everything is so convenient ( running errands, getting to work, getting labor to help you out) is just like a simulation. So damn easy! It’s ruined me for any other country in the world. I’m an expat here. Born and raised. I do pretty well for an expat. Kuwait has given me the chance and I’m extremely grateful for that. I’m just an average Joe and probably wouldn’t have done this well anywhere else in the world. And because of that I wouldn’t leave unless I’m forced out (hopefully not soon).
Thank you kindly my friend.
At least we are in the Bottom 10 with will known countries like the report say .
Italy
Sweden
Norway
Canada
United Kingdom
Germany
Finland
South Korea
Türkiye
Kuwait
so I am ok with it and not worried 🙂
+1
came here to say this
Kuwait has given my family and I all and everything we could have ever asked for. Yes I am an expat and I am born and raised here and no warped out of touch ranking will ever change that. Long Live Kuwait!
let me guess. you look either european, american, kuwaiti or are ACTUALLY one of those. your experience is the minority – the thing that commenters always get wrong is overestimating how much they represent a population they are not even really part of.
I don’t even need to guess.. you need therapy lol
Hey what if i am all 3 ?
Americans can be white, black, asian, latino, etc etc. so idk what you mean…
The country is a hit or miss but it depends on your occupation and the friends/people that you are around. Not necessarily your skin tone.
Kuwait has become extremely difficult to live in with bizarre new laws that hurt people rather than help them. The best time to be in Kuwait was 2005-2016, with the peak being 2006-2010. Life isn’t the same anymore in general, it’s like the whole world is pushing towards collapse, and what will anyone do then?
I totally agree. The best phase for me was 2008 to 2012. Been dragging here otherwise. Waiting to wrap up a few things and leave if possible!
Kuwait Zindabad!
No country on this planet is perfect. I don’t care what others think — for me, Kuwait will always be the place to move to.
Home away!
4th generation expat here, been winding up affairs for close to 6 months, leaving as early as Jan 2026. have employed over 250 people, life’s savings invested in businesses here. It was a decent run, but its offset by the negative developments over the last decade or so. Good news is my sponsor will no longer be burdened with the need to give me permission to travel. good luck to everybody here, my family and i hope to see Kuwait live up to its full potential in the near future.
1) Surveys are for the most part of Western expats, by Western expats and for Western expats. Further, the commissioning of the swanky new terminal T2 at Kuwait International is not about to upend these league tables one jot.
2) The blue collared from South East Asia and the Philipines are like the wildebeest in Africa- they dig their own graves coming here – vulnerable as they are to exploitation, discrimination, both or much worse. However, one thing is certain – the Kuwaiti dinar’s strength is something everybody finds alluring and is something which is common knowledge among people living in ‘jhuggis” (the Indian version of favelas)- no, not the Euro, not the US Dollar, Saudi or Qatari Riyal or the UAE dirham for them but the Kuwaiti dinar alone. They are not in it for the physical quality of life here but plain, looking at tax free remittances to send back home even if it means they have to sacrifice their entire lives – living in a less than salubrious environment in Kwt. Again, for them this is not much different than say, living in Qatar or UAE. Conditions for workers are just as pathetic across the Arabian peninsula.
3) The dry state of affairs and the total absence of night life in Kuwait is I am guessing, one of the prime let downs for many professionals who choose Muscat or Abu Dhabi or even, Manama over Kuwait. Live music at trendy trattorias or a late night film at the cinemas is as good as it can get insofar as night life in Kuwait goes. Plus, some expats of LGBTQi orientation or those with live in partners back home find it a challenge relocating to Kuwait and cannot easily obtain visas for them for Kuwait minus a bolus dose of Vitamin W. This is a put off for a large cohort of people and can be a terrible thing for recruiters and organizations in Kuwait who are not able to scout for the very best in accounting, management and health care talent from India, Europe and the Americas. In recent years, there has been a substantive flight of intellectual capital out of Kuwait to countries, down south in the Gulf, as we all know only too well. Lack of integration and/or assimilation with the locals and local culture is not unique to Kuwait- with the notable exception of Bahrain and to some extent, Oman all the rest of the GCC is just as uptight and xenophobic. The ‘ghettoization” particularly is harmful for young expat families living in silos with their kids growing up confused about their cultural identity and their place in society. Qatar and the Emirates are no different. On the inclement weather in Kuwait, the less said the better.
4) On the upside, of course, there is vastly superior savings potential here: unlike the UAE- the house rents, food subsidies, utility bills, parking fees or the lack of them in Kuwait, average health and education costs are favourably inclined toward Kuwait. Even the fact that someone can put this post on their blog and not have to worry about the officials asking them to immediately take it down because it would have negative publicity speaks volumes to the difference in the play of things here and over there.
Many of us (my family and I included) are most grateful to Kuwait for the many fruits we have reaped being in Kuwait and it’s only when you realize how much more potential there is, that you tend toward being somewhat harsh and critical of the state of things as they are.
Peace
That Latin American dominance in top 3 is… confusing? Sure, plenty of beautiful women and cocaine; but is that all that it comes down to? 😂 people here complaining about Kw, meanwhile I want Intel on Panama😅.