Bahrain has been named the most welcoming country in the Middle East and the fifth-friendliest country for foreign residents in the world by the Expat Insider 2017 survey, which offers an in-depth analysis of life abroad.

Now in its fourth year, the annual study polled more than 12,500 respondents from 166 nationalities. The final ranking of the 65 destinations is based on how these countries were rated by their expat residents with factors analysed including the cost of living, safety and security, family life, personal finances and working abroad.

For the first time, Portugal stole the spotlight, climbing up nine places since 2016 to take the top position as the world's most welcoming country for foreigners. According to the survey, close to every expat living there (94 per cent) stated total satisfaction with the attitude of locals towards foreign residents.

In addition to Portugal, this year’s top 10 most welcoming countries for expats are Taiwan, Mexico, Cambodia, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Oman, Colombia, Vietnam and Canada, the survey revealed.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kuwait firmly stays in last place for the fourth year in a row. There is an “increasing anti-expat sentiment from locals,” according to an Indian expat living in the country. In fact, nearly half the expats living there (46 per cent) rate the attitude of the local population towards foreign residents negatively, which is nearly three times the global average (16 per cent).

Switzerland and Austria do not show an improved performance either: Austria even dropped five places, down to ranking second-last (64th), and Switzerland remains the third-unfriendliest country for the second consecutive year. An Italian expat considers Austrians to be “uninterested in making new friends”, while a Mexican expat describes local residents in Switzerland as “closed and uneasy”. However, with 35 per cent negative ratings in Austria and 30 per cent in Switzerland, they are still considerably friendlier than Kuwait, the survey showed. - TradeArabia News Service