Saudi Arabia Delights Job Seekers
Expats find improved career prospects in Saudi Arabia, yet long working hours and a hot, desert climate may put a damper on things.
In Brief
In 2025, Saudi Arabia enters the Expat Insider survey ranking in 12th place. As in 2024, the Working Abroad (3rd) and Expat Essentials (4th) Indices stand out with a spot in the top 10. The performance of the remaining three indices is above average, too. When asked about their happiness with their life abroad in Saudi Arabia, 64% of expats say they’re happy (compared to 67% of expats who say the same worldwide).
Great Job Prospects but Long Working Hours
Saudi Arabia’s best-performing index is Working Abroad (3rd). Expats are very pleased with the job market (1st) and state of the economy (2nd), and 80% say that moving there has improved their career prospects — great news for the 70% who moved for work-related reasons (vs. 36% globally)!
However, when it comes to work–life balance (29th) things could improve. In addition to working longer hours in a full-time job per week than the global average (46.1 h vs. 42.5 h), the majority of respondents (56%) don’t have the option to work remotely (vs. 36% globally).
Find out more in Top Prospects, Good Hours & More: Countries for Your Career.
Headache-Free Bureaucracy
The Expat Essentials Index (4th) is the second index in the top 5 for Saudi Arabia. Star subcategories are Admin Topics (4th) and Language (8th).
Learning Arabic isn’t a major prerequisite for living there (16th). And the kingdom makes it easy for expats to deal with the local bureaucracy (6th), open a local bank account (5th), and get a visa (10th). Paperwork can be a headache for expats and locals alike; unsurprisingly, 41% of expats worldwide negatively rate their host country’s bureaucracy, yet half of that share (20%) feel the same in Saudi Arabia.
Indeed, there’s excellent online availability of government services (5th). And although more than four in five respondents (81%) say it’s easy to get high-speed internet access at home, they find access to online services like social media is restricted (41st). These extremes in ranking place the Digital Life Subcategory in 16th place.
Housing is also in 16th place, with decent affordability (16th) and ease of finding (15th) accommodation.
Mixed Friend Groups
With the essentials covered, how easy is it for expats to settle into their new country? According to the ranking, Saudi Arabia’s Ease of Settling In Index comes in decent 19th place. Around two-thirds of expats perceive the locals to be friendly in general (69% vs. 62% globally) and towards foreign residents (65% vs. 60%). A similar share (68%) feels welcome in the country (vs. 62%).
Though it’s easier to make local friends (11th) than in other countries and expats find they have a personal support network (18th), it’s not easy to feel at home in Saudi Arabia (25th). This may in part result from not being able to penetrate the culture: the majority of expats (52%) describes their friends and acquaintances as a mixed group of expats and locals (vs. 46% globally) — only 6% say they’re only friends with locals (vs. 16%).
Affordable Quality Healthcare
In 16th place is the Quality of Life Index. Its five underlying subcategories range from best (Healthcare 3rd) to worst (Environment & Climate 34th).
Saudi Arabia’s availability (1st) and quality (1st) of medical care is the best-performing in the survey. And nearly seven in ten expats (68%) say healthcare is affordable (vs. 59% globally) and that it’s easy to get equal access to all kinds of services (vs. 60%).
Not such crowd pleasers are the natural (43rd) and urban (33rd) environments as well as the climate & weather (32nd) and air quality (32nd). Some of these factors may improve in the future as 77% of expats say the government supports policies to protect the environment (vs. 60% globally).
Other positive aspects of Quality of Life come with caveats. For instance, while the infrastructure for cars is above average (17th), there’s poor availability of public transportation (36th). Expats may not run out of culinary & dining options (11th) but opportunities for recreational sport are slim (40th). And although the political situation is stable (8th), expats feel restricted in openly expressing themselves and their opinions (42nd).
Good Finances
Finances are sometimes the prime consideration for expats. In Saudi Arabia, expats rank the Personal Finance Index 15th. Overall, 63% of respondents are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 54% globally), and 71% feel their disposable household income is about or more than enough to lead a comfortable life (vs. 69%). The majority of expats (75%) make up to 75,000 USD in gross yearly income (vs. 67%) — and there’s no income tax!
The Typical Expat in Saudi Arabia
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