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UAE ranks among top 10 best places for expats to live
In terms of individual categories, expats ranked the UAE fourth globally for safety and security, and sixth for leisure options
- PUBLISHED: Tue 2 Sept 2025, 4:54 PM UPDATED: Wed 3 Sept 2025, 9:49 AM
Nearly one in five expatriates — 19 per cent — express a desire to stay in the UAE permanently, citing the country’s high quality of life, safety, security, and ease of settling in as key reasons.
According to the Expat Insider 2025 survey released by InterNations on Tuesday, 18 per cent of expats plan to remain in the country for the foreseeable future, while 39 per cent are still undecided about their long-term plans.
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The UAE ranked seventh globally in the survey’s overall index of best countries to live in. Home to more than 190 nationalities, the Emirates continues to attract foreign professionals, investors, and high-net-worth individuals — especially in the post-pandemic era. With a population exceeding 11 million, over 80 per cent of the country’s residents are expatriates, highlighting the nation's enduring appeal among foreigners.
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The government has also introduced long-term residency programmes such as Retirement Visa, Golden Visa and Blue Visa for professionals and investors.
The annual InterNations survey also revealed that the top three industries employing expats in the UAE are finance, hospitality, and construction. The main motivations for relocating to the UAE include job opportunities, international recruitment, and the pursuit of a better quality of life.
Notably, the UAE was rated the best country globally for expatriate essentials — which include housing, digital infrastructure, and administrative services — and second best for overall quality of life.
In terms of individual categories, expats ranked the UAE fourth globally for safety and security, and sixth for leisure options.
InterNations, the world’s largest expat community with more than 5.7 million members, has been conducting the Expat Insider survey since 2014. This year, over 10,000 respondents representing 172 nationalities shared their experiences of living and working in 46 countries around the world.
The UAE outperformed several major countries in the ranking, including Spain, the US, UK, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg, Singapore, Sweden, and Norway.
Globally, the top 10 best countries for expats in 2025 are: Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam, China, UAE, Indonesia, Spain, and Malaysia.
At the bottom of the list were Kuwait, Türkiye, South Korea, Finland, Germany, the UK, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Italy — rated least favourably by expatriates.
