Wealthy Expats Are Choosing to Stay for Good
A growing number of the UAE’s most affluent residents are no longer treating the country as a temporary career stopover. According to new research, nearly half of high-net-worth expatriates living in the UAE now plan to retire there permanently, a finding that signals a deeper shift in how the country is perceived by the global professional class it has long attracted.
The Money on the Move study, conducted by wealth management firm St James’s Place, surveyed 450 affluent and high-net-worth residents across the UAE in May. It found that 44 per cent of respondents now intend to retire in the country, while more than half said they had already stayed considerably longer than they originally planned when they first relocated.
Financial Incentives Remain a Powerful Draw
Money remains a central part of the equation. The study found that 96 per cent of respondents earn more than they would in a comparable role back home, underscoring the financial advantage that continues to draw skilled professionals to the UAE. Seven in ten respondents believe that living and working in the UAE will allow them to retire at least three years earlier than they otherwise could have.
Daniel George, head of business at St James’s Place Middle East, said the shift reflects a broader change in mindset among expatriates. He noted that the UAE has increasingly become a place where people can genuinely picture building a life, rather than simply advancing a career for a few years before moving on. According to George, many arrive for professional opportunity, then gradually build wealth, community and roots — at which point the incentive to leave diminishes considerably.
Staying Despite Regional Uncertainty
Perhaps the most striking element of the findings is how resilient this sentiment has proven, even amid regional instability. Despite 92 per cent of respondents expressing concern about geopolitical tensions in the wider region, seven in ten said their overall perception of the UAE as a place to live had actually grown more positive over time.
This apparent contradiction — rising concern about the neighbourhood, paired with growing confidence in the UAE itself — suggests that residents increasingly view the country as a stable base relative to its surroundings, rather than being deterred by broader regional headlines.
British entrepreneur Justin Cooke, one of the voices featured in the research, described a clear pattern among long-term expatriates: many are actively building businesses, enrolling their children in local schools, purchasing homes and planning out the next two to three decades of their lives in the country, rather than viewing their stay as transient.
A Longer-Term Commitment Than in the Past
The study also found that 78 per cent of respondents expect to remain in the UAE for at least another eight years, reinforcing the sense that this is a durable trend rather than a short-term blip. Taken together with the finding that many have already overstayed their original plans, the data paints a picture of an expatriate population that is steadily transitioning from short-term contract workers into long-term residents with deep local ties.
What This Means for the UAE’s Economy
For policymakers and businesses alike, the findings carry significant implications. A wealthier, more settled expatriate population tends to invest more heavily in property, education and local services, and is more likely to establish businesses that contribute to the broader economy rather than simply repatriating earnings abroad.
The UAE has spent recent years expanding long-term visa options, including retirement and golden visa pathways, specifically to encourage this kind of permanence among skilled residents. The latest findings suggest that strategy may be paying off, with affluent expatriates increasingly opting to plant roots rather than treat the UAE as a temporary posting.
As global wealth migration patterns continue to shift, with high-net-worth individuals from various countries increasingly relocating abroad, the UAE appears to be positioning itself as one of the primary long-term beneficiaries — not just as a place to earn, but increasingly, as a place to stay.
