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Kuwait

Kuwait Still the Worst Place for Expats

Kuwait ranks last once again, a position it also held in 2018 and from 2014 to 2016. It still places last and second to last for the ease of settling in and quality of life, respectively, though it has improved for personal finance (from 50th to 38th in 2019). Results for working abroad remain bleak, though: Kuwait places 60th. While expats are mostly satisfied with the state of the economy (63% positive ratings vs. 63% globally) — the majority (59%) moved there for work-related reasons — 36% are unhappy with their work-life balance. All in all, Kuwait is the country expats would recommend the least. Source

I really think all this has to do with the simple issue that expats are made to feel unwanted in Kuwait.

63 replies on “Kuwait Still the Worst Place for Expats”

I see this survey every year. My question is, despite kuwait’s Worst ranking, why are there still many expats who choose to come and work here that includes yourself. Can you tell me what makes you choose to live and work here, just like what you said they make expats feel unwanted. So there’s a bigger reason why most choose to stay.

I don’t count cuz I grew up here but majority of expats are here because of financial reasons (work). They’ll take the crap because they have to be there but once they find a better opportunity elsewhere they’ll jump on it. Like if you’re working and aren’t happy at work, you’re gonna stay there till you find something better.

According to your point of view that there is no worse place than Kuwait to live and work so be frank with yourself and your morals and leave q the country you do not need work in Kuwait and Kuwait does not need you.

No it isn’t his point of view, it’s the point of view of a survey that states Kuwait is the worst place for expats. It might be that the truth hurts, as an expat myself I can say I don’t have reason to say its the worst place for us, i’m sure there are worse-but there are a lot of improvements that need to be made.

I get it when people say I’m here for ‘work’. That’s wonderful you’re taking the ‘crap’ and sacrificing your precious lifestyle of supposedly not being able to freely drink and go clubbing (that must be very very torturous), but what I DON’T get is if you’re here to make money and you’re aware that the country is helping you in a way to make your life better, and you talk crap about it all the time.

Show some gratitude. Stop trashing the streets like a pig. Older generations like myself really feel the difference. Ten or 20 years ago when the expat rate wasn’t this high, things weren’t this chaotic here. Traffic was less and things were slightly more civilized. You would never stand at work and hear expats bashing nationals in their faces. Now you do. An expat spat at a relative of mine (real story). An expat followed me in the car and gave me the finger. That didn’t happen 15 years ago.

They’re changing. It’s scary.

The reason is that in the name of cheap labours unskilled people are filling up the places where a dignified and law abiding expat used to work. I had called bmw company recently and the sales representative mocked me by saying its not a chinease car. What was he trying to imply when I said that it is a used bwm that I want to lease. I am sure a true professional would have found a better way of dealing with me. I found his comments highly offensible and worst of all he must have never had thought of his mistake. That is the kind of cheap expats who are working now in Kuwait. Unfortunatley, if that was bmw company then imagine the level of customer service and other servicemen in Kuwait today. Kuwait is worst because of these people and not because of the Kuwaitis.

Tax free income. Its bittersweet.
You cant exactly stay here and build a life. Everything here is temporary.
Heck, I’d recommend that the government enable some form of tax and allow PR for expats. This way you’d see much more money being spent here and lives being built.

Kuwait is mostly considered by people as a buffer spot to come and earn as much as you can to enable travel to other countries. But they end up feeling trapped here. The work experience from Kuwait is not considered worthy for jobs in other countries too and they get addicted to the money.
Also, Kuwait’s laws aren’t making anything easier. Public transportation is a mess and disgusting. Roads are a mess. Healthcare is a joke. People would rather go back to their own countries than use Kuwait’s healthcare. Social life is the occasional weekend coffee or meal. Mainly cause no one can afford to spend so much money on transportation to meet up. Then pay exuberant amounts on “coffee”.
Everyone who can, are leaving the country. And once they leave, no one looks back. They send back stories of their much happier lives.

But not everything’s bad. Somethings have gotten much better. Back in the day growing up over here, we used to encounter a lot of violent Arabs n Kuwaitis but the government was flexible and hospitable to expats.
Now i feel the roles have reversed. The government treats expats badly, While the general Kuwaiti people have become educated and very friendly.

this was the single most poignant, clear and most importantly, rational response to this subject that i have ever heard. thank you for this.

This is a very fair statement. What boils my blood is how the government keeps on exploiting and benefiting from the work of expats but at the same time hate their guts and tries to deport them any chance they get. I’m not gonna sugar-coat and attempt to lie, I hate Kuwait and the only reason I go back there is that my father works there and it pays well.

I came here expecting to see the usual mindless debate ending in ‘leave if you dont like it’.

However this is one hell of a rational and factual comment. You, Sir, deserve an upvote. You have captured the reason perfectly.

A very sensible, brief, to-the-point encapsulating – everything there is to say. You are the HERO of today’s comments! I applaud you *clap clap clap*

cheta,
when you say back in the day, You’d come across violent arabs. you’re talking about when exactly ? how long ago ? which years ?

Till 2007. After that I left for India.
Now I travel daily by the bus her, for the last 3 years. No major incident so far.

“Public transportation is a mess and disgusting. Roads are a mess. Healthcare is a joke. People would rather go back to their own countries than use Kuwait’s healthcare.”

I wonder who’s ruining the public transportation. Last time I checked Kuwaitis don’t use public transportation. The government created clean buses and good services– within 1 week everything is littered. What do you expect them to do? keep cleaning like slaves after them? Nothing lasts.

Just go to the #@$#@$ seaside on weekends and see the leftovers. THAT IS disgusting. You don’t expect the country to start giving crash courses on morals and basic etiquettes.

OR they could have actual working trash cans in these buses.
Or have working AC’s that vent out, so that the buses don’t smell like socks all the time.
Or create a new route for travelers to and from the fish markets, so that the buses don’t smell like fish.
Or create bus routes closer to actual neighborhoods so we don’t sweat out profusely while trying to reach these stops.

And yes. If you run a bus service. I expect the bus to hire someone to clean it. Not expect the passengers to do that also.
You wouldn’t ask the passengers of an airline to clean up the plane during transits Or the customers of a restaurant to wash the dishes.

Kuwait beaches need to be strictly monitored and the rules need to be enforced better. That is what we need the government to do.
Here too, when they fail, they use the most convenient solution.. blame the expats.

So what u mean that expats should leave because they are unwanted by a silly segment of the population although they are needed? This is a non sequitur statement and an ad hominem and if you had an ounce of logic and knew anything about the two words, then you wouldn’t be making the statement.

Because it’s the easiest freaking place to find work! I have never seen so many unskilled workers in skilled jobs before in my life. People will view this as an easy way, albeit miserable way to make money. The fact that people representing Kuwait always make excuses for the deplorable environment it has created says it all. They live upto the arrogant attitude of “who me? It’s you” attitude. Thus, things will never change until you take responsibility and show more humility. It is indeed one of the worst places I’ve lived. But hey, I have the luxury of being able to leave. Some don’t. Remember that.

I 100% agree!!! People who have lived and worked in Kuwait for over 40 years and consider it home have no sense of security. Sad.

That’s why the country still clean…what comes from expats all the community & social problems & their waste.

No surprise there.. If you read the news, everyday there are new rules or restrictions imposed on expatriates. Just like Mark, i grew up here too but honestly, its not the best feeling when you keep reading news like this.. And not to mention having to deal with some racists out here.

Can’t disagree anymore. Look at other gulf countries prospering and then look at kuwait. The same old land with ego, pride, superiority complex and money. Once the people learn to respect the minority, that’s when the country will prosper and grow.

I agree 100%, “Respect” thats everything any expat is looking for, i cant say everyone is disrespectful but a big majority feel that you are obliged to serve them or accept being treated with disrespect only because you are an expat. If the culture of disrespecting the expat and looking at him/her as an inferior creature doesnt change, there is no way the country would grow and prosper.

My wife and I are both born and raised here in Kuwait, we’re expats and we do see the huge difference between the 90’s compared to the current status of Kuwait. Both our parents have been here for 40 years and honestly after retiring, they did not even feel the gratefulness of others for the service and time they’ve put in helping this economy out.

I don’t have it as bad as others career-wise but have known a lot of people struggling from transportation, to family issues due to constant law changes which makes it harder for some, the way of living, and other concerns from healthcare to ‘expat hours’, discrimination, racism, etc..

Like an earlier comment, we too are just are waiting for a better opportunity to live and work elsewhere, migrate, maybe be naturalized and even start our own family or even move back home and start a business. Just waiting for the right time; opportunity that we will not hesitate taking.

As a Kuwaiti all i can say if you are not happy in kuwait you should seek a more suitable place for you and your family. Money isn’t everything life pls don’t waste your time in a place that you hate. For me kuwait is my home it’s not perfect and it’s annoying sometimes but it’s my country so i should stay and try to contribute to make it better, but for you mark and all others money isn’t everything everyone deserves to live in a place where he feels comfortable.

Not bad. Like any other country kuwait has pros and cons. I found public transport to be good. Roads good. Water supply, electricity excellent. Life peaceful. Edibles not too costly. Expats should keep in mind they are foreigners and this country is giving them bread and butter. So they should not tarnish image of this country. I like this country.

I’ve spent 19 years in Kuwait and I’ve been out of the country for 7 years now and I’m happier, I can still see the attitude remains the same. you’re too blindsided to see that without expats there will be no Kuwait, the cog underneath that keeps the country running are the expats.

Tea’s point wasn’t that money is everything, his point is expats that have contributed to the betterment of Kuwait feel under-appreciated. According to him, his family has been living in Kuwait for decades and they don’t feel that they are appreciated as members of Kuwait’s society for a variety of reasons. So, the question is, what can we do to change that?

Kuwait is bigger than its own self once again and that is why I still love it as an expat. To be in the position Mark is today as an expat is rare. If your not in a similar position then your in Kuwait solely for the money and the Kuwaiti government and the individual Kuwaiti people by majority make sure you do not get comfortable with them be it in a personal or group environment.
All the best to Kuwait but I do not see myself as a fourth generation expat settling as a resident for now.

How reliable are these rankings? How many people participated in them? I understand Kuwait has too many issues, and the disgusting rhetoric against expats is not helping, but the worst place, really? The other GCC countries are have more similarities than differences between them; are they very different to the point that one is 7th place and the other is 64th place?

As someone who’s lived both in Bahrain and Kuwait, although both countries are VERY dear to my heart, I can understand why expats prefer Bahrain, especially if they’re European or American of origin. Bahrain is much more liberal, has more responsive government offices that are very simple and direct, job pay for expats is great, and the people are incredibly welcoming. I was welcomed by the locals who became my closest friends. Bahrain also allows for citizenship which is a reason many people move there. I met Palestinian-Bahrainis, Lebanese-Bahrainis, English-Bahrainis, etc. I do agree with you that Kuwait is WAY too low, but that is also because as a previous expat myself I have quite fond memories of Kuwait and know alot of my friends and family feel the same.

I think the problem is the expats expectations and failure to accept the culture context in which they find themselves.

To keep it short the culture in KWI may seem aggressive, rude, self centered. Once you accept that reality, learn to operate within it, and not be so sensitive to it, you may find yourself more open to positive experiences.

I am here because I was born here and my family is here. If I can migrate I would. I am not appreciated here. No need to hide it. I did love Kuwait when I was a kid, but now I don’t. Its not me Its Kuwait that changed.

I came to Kuwait when I was 22 after briefly working in Mumbai, India. We were struggling financially so I was here thinking to make some money. I lived in Kuwait for 18 years & now eventually migrated to another country but Kuwait will always be special for me, because for me it was home. My Father in Law lived in Kuwait for 45 years, my wife was born here as well as my kids. After the initial struggle, I eventually made it good financially which helped me getting 2 houses in Mumbai. If Kuwait gave PR, I would never really leave the place but ended up making a very tough decision so that my kids can get a better education and probably a better life. As with any other place, Kuwait has its pros and cons. This is my take away about this place:

1. Its great to work with Kuwaiti bosses, If they realize you are educated and hard working, most of them will be very supportive. In my 18 years, I have encountered some of the best leaders.
2. The food in Kuwait is amazing & having travelled extensively, I believe Kuwait is one of the best places for food.
3. Life is comfortable & everything is readily available and a call away.
4. if you are close to a 4 figure salary or more than you could really save and at the same enjoy all the good things as well.
5. People who come from other parts of India, specially from South have built mansions back home where there is hardly any electricity or drinking water available. If this people crib about Kuwait, they need to get a reality check done!

I dont want to list any cons but if Kuwait’s corporate culture and awareness changed where international HR practices are adopted, Kuwait can do so much more..

I was with you till you mentioned South. Please we invite you to come to the south of the country and point out once place where we do not have water or electricity. I am from Kerala. I know this doesn’t add to the discourse we are having about the expats in Kuwait. But I feel it my duty to educate the ignorant and bigoted north Indians about how much more advanced (in terms of education, human rights, infrastructure, basic decency and hygiene) the South is from the north. Kuwait has been good to you. Great. There is no need to put down anyone else because you probably didn’t face what they faced. Now you have immigrated to a better place, great. But slander other compatriots and consider yourself better than them? That’s the mark of an ignorant and half educated bigot. Not sorry for calling you out.

I have mentioned that I have travelled extensively & Kerala is no exception. Its a beautiful place but thats about it. For the 10 days that I was there there are big houses but like I said thats about it. Whatever that has been built there, has been built from money remitted from Gulf countries like Kuwait & probably that is why most of them are working here. Did you say “Advanced”? If it is so advanced, you wouldn’t be in Kuwait. Whatever development that you see happening is because of every KD being remitted there so let’s cut the crap about that as if Kerala is exporting millions and is India’s manufacturing hub. All this is exported is manpower to Gulf because of the high level of education that every other Keralite is an “engineer” supposedly. Why not ask these engineers to stay back home and take it to further “Advanced” levels. If today Kuwait starts giving PR, please ask around how many would like to go back to your “Advanced” Kerala. I have no issues against you or the place, some of my very good friends are from there but this is a fact. & btw I give 4fs about your name calling, perfectly ok with that.
Anyways the point is Yes, Kuwait is turning into a bit difficult place for expats but it has equally been exploited. 1 kd for delivery charges or even other big treatments in MoH? There have been lot of things that Kuwait offered has been equally exploited to a very large extent & now they want to take back control which I believe is fair but yeah the way they are going about implementing is not right. Personally for me, Kuwait has given me so much and all I am is grateful and everyone who has been able to feed his family well in Kuwait or back home in India. Whether we like it or not, They have all the right to take care of their people and do what is right for their country. Either accept what is offered or you always have the choice to move on.

You’re comparing to Kerala to the north LOL.
I’ve stayed in Bangalore now for 6 years and I’ve moved around quite a bit, Look at UP Bihar Jharkand MP Uttarkahand etc, They’ve got the highest crime, rape rates, poverty rates population rates etc .
You’re right about most of the money in Kerala being Gulf money. The fact of the matter is that Kerala or anywhere in the South is still a far better place with more amenities or jobs than anywhere in the north.

Kuwait is a hostile country, it prides itself on being open to foreigners, when in fact you hear on a daily basis of rules and regulations with an racist content. As an expat you are exploited as cheap labor so the rich can become richer. The Kuwaitis that are grateful for the work you do for them, is far in between and rare.

Yes foreigners come to work and earn good tax free money, but they also loose a lot in the process. They loose retirement money, family time, friends, time in nature etc etc. These are things one scarifies but eventually will return to rebuild. If you are smart and use the your time well in Kuwait, earn as much as you can, exploit all opportunity, save all your earnings, spend as little as possible and keep you roots back home for easy escape.
Yes you can do well in Kuwait. For doze who want a life long term, not a good idea.

I am glad I got out in time, 16 years where I had hoped it was going to be long term, but saw it impossible. One can not live in a place where one is not wanted, unless you are so desperate you have no other choice. I had a choice and yes I am one of doze who send happy messages back to friends who is still stuck. They will leave as well, and the loosing part will be Kuwait. Kuwait can not prosper from always having new expats coming and going.( Except the ones who earn on visa trafficking.) My experience say, keep the ones you have happy and give them the same rights as yourself, and you will gain a country that is being treated with love and care, not hate and greed.

Two cents from Denmark.

Make a ten year plan, move Forward to better countries or go back to where u come from. This is the best op for expats from third world countries. Longer stay will surely destroy your life. Future is worst in GCC as time passes.

Yes Mr khan how about we all head to bankrupt Pakistan where they just got their 12th bailout by the IMF. Great future there.

It’s all about your perspective, glass half empty versus half full.

I worked both in UAE and Kuwait. both have plus and minus aspect of life. in fact, I have to deal with local people everyday as I work in hospitality industry. I found that Kuwaiti are much more friendly and respectful. Yes, infrastructure here in Kuwait is not as developed as in other gulf countries but I think the government is trying to make it better in the future. p

Ffs for real just leave rather than talk shit about my home. You came to Kuwait for money, you got money. Don’t tell me you came to Kuwait for a life cause you damn well know you won’t get the passport or a permanent residency. You have zero taxes, the healthcare is much better/cheaper than most countries especially the west, it’s cheap, safe and comfortable. In the West you get just as much racism as here. You can’t just eat, sleep and live in someone’s country and talk shit about it. I live in the U.K, I get regular racist comments about being Arab, I can’t see a doctor whenever I like, I pay everything I get to have a “comfortable” lifestyle and I still have nothing to say rather than I’m happy to be there for an education. English people ask me what I think of their country and I tell them everything is perfect because you can’t talk shit about someone’s fucking home while living in it. It’s basic decency, don’t like it leave it, you knew what you were coming to and hating on it hurts you mentally and hurts locals emotionally so everyone is at a loss.

Very well said Sulaiman I knew when I read this article on google news that Mark would make a post about it. Most people who come to Kuwait are not successful in their own countries they are mere opportunists. The best and brightest head to the West and we get the low status lower class and uneducated rabble. I wish Mark would do more to defend his host nation it’s been years I’ve been seeing him enable people to come and comment negatively and bash Kuwait.

Censoring people because their opinions don’t match mine isn’t something i do on the blog. I don’t agree with your statement but I let you post it. If i was to stop people from posting opinions that differ than mine then the blog would be a very quiet place…

Ever thought why the top rung “head to the West and we get the low status lower class and uneducated rabble.”

Maybe the answer could help improve the ranking.

So many people writing essays about the topic. The answer to this topic is rather simple…

Chaos.

Of course its going to suck. For everyone.

With lack of proper planning, workforce management, and vision of where we’re heading… this ‘free for all’ situation is taking everyone down the drain.

I have been working here in kuwait for 4 years now and I can say it is not the worst country I have worked in. They have pretty good labor laws that protect the workers here but people are just too afraid to go to the labor board. I will say that it is the worst for road rage though.

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