Top countries for expats revealed in a new survey

The top countries for expatriates have been revealed following a survey of 20,000 expats from around the world.

The survey, which was conducted by the expat network InterNations, asked people from 187 countries to rate aspects of their lives away from their home country, including the cost of living, the quality of social life, how easy it is to make friends and quality of medical care.

The top 5 countries for expats are:

Spain

Spain’s climate and the availability of leisure activities are two of the country’s best features, according to expats.

Its healthcare is affordable and high quality, while Spanish people are welcoming to families with children. People did express concern about the Spanish economy and career prospects, however.

Portugal

Expats appreciate the favourable climate in Portugal, while the social life is a key factor for many expats in the country.

There is also a low cost of living in the country, but just half of the survey’s respondents feel positive about their job security and career prospects in Portugal.

Mexico

Locals in Mexico are friendly, while the cost and quality of both childcare and education are very high.

However, many people say that they worry about the personal safety of both them and their children.

Vietnam

Vietnam is one of the most popular countries with expats, with a combination of the low cost of living and the disposable income of expats creating a good quality of living.

Expats are happy with their career prospects, while the HSBC’s expat survey found that integration in Vietnam was easy, with locals in the country being very welcoming.

But there are concerns about the quality of digital advancement and the environment, according to the respondents.

Taiwan

The affordability and quality of healthcare, safety, career prospects and quality of life have all been highly praised by expats, who voted for the country as the world’s best for expats.

However, more than half of the respondents said that they have trouble learning Chinese, creating a language barrier.

The worst countries for expats:

The InterNations survey also found that the worst three countries for expats were Kuwait, Italy and Nigeria.

Kuwait has maintained its position in last place from 2018, with expats citing the quality of life and ease of settling in as two major concerns.

Expats have found it difficult to start a career in Italy, with one respondent stating, “It’s very difficult to start a career or find any type of work with a decent income to raise a family.”

Nigeria has ranked third from bottom for the fourth year out of the last five, with concerns over working in the country and the quality of life.

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