Oman has been ranked as a friendly and safe destination by expatriates, as per the latest InterNations survey.
Among other indicators, the general satisfaction level of expatriates in the GCC, Oman figures second with 80 per cent, behind UAE (82 per cent) and followed by Qatar (79 per cent), Bahrain (76 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (65 per cent).
“Placed 24th out of 59 countries, Oman performs best in the Ease of Settling in Index (sixth). Most expatriates are happy with the friendliness of the local population towards foreign residents. Another 86 per cent rate the general friendliness positively’’, the survey said. Additionally, 58 per cent of expatriates find it easy to make local friends. In Oman, most expatriates (60 per cent) have a mixed group of friends and acquaintances that includes both expatriates and locals,
However, perhaps owing to Oman’s huge expatriate population, only one per cent are mostly friends with locals, while 39 per cent mainly socialise with other expatriates.
Most expatriates feel at home in Oman’s local culture and find it easy to live there without speaking the local language.
Social media is an oft-cited source of information in the GCC States such as Oman (59 per cent), Saudi Arabia (55 per cent) and Kuwait (53 per cent).
As per this year’s global survey, close to one in five local expatriates (18 per cent) said that they have returned from a stay abroad earlier than originally planned. When asked about the main reason for their early return, many cite the desire to be closer to their family and/or friends (22 per cent), a job or business opportunity lost due to Covid-19 (21 per cent), or concerns about their personal and/or their family’s health (16 per cent). One in ten (10 per cent) was worried about the local healthcare system in their host country.
Among expatriate respondents worldwide, those who are still living abroad, the share of respondents who say they will return home earlier than originally planned is five per cent, not quite as high.
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