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Every year InterNations runs The Expat Insider survey, polling countries according to scores given by expats.
In 2021, a total of 12,420 expats participated in the survey, representing 174 nationalities, and living in 186 countries or territories. Their responses make for interesting reading.
Asia rules
For the third year in a row, Taiwan has come out on top with most expats comfortable, safe, and satisfied with the state of its local economy and happy with the quality of life.
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A big plus here, it is claimed, is the excellent yet very affordable healthcare that is available for all, regardless of nationality. In fact, Taiwan’s pandemic control measures were some of the most effective, thanks primarily to the country’s good social care system. As well as free access to testing, the government also financed the cost of a 14-day quarantine and compensated people with a $35 (R524) per day food voucher.
Portugal leads EU pack
Most of the expats surveyed scored countries higher if the cost of living was low, which is why despite concerns about safety, and poor infrastructure, Mexico came in second.
Four in five expats surveyed were satisfied with their financial situation in Mexico, with most of their disposable household income being more than enough to cover living expenses. They also ranked the country high due to the cultural diversity and friendly people.
A willingness to make use of foreign labour shows heavily in the rankings, with countries like Costa Rica coming in third place, followed by Malaysia in fourth. Portugal was the only EU country, to make it in the top ten, coming in fifth place. New Zealand and Australia claimed the sixth and seventh spots, with Ecuador, Canada and Vietnam taking the last three.
Mediterranean countries miss the mark
At the other end of spectrum destinations like Malta, Turkey, Cyprus, and Egypt make up the bottom ten, with Kuwait coming in at rock bottom.
All these countries received less than average results when it comes to the ease of settling in, work life and financial aspects. Russia, Japan, India, and South Africa make up the remaining bottom ten, with expats concerned about personal safety, job security and the economic woes.
Only one EU country made the bottom ten: Italy. The country came in second last, with a general dissatisfaction with personal finance matters, careers, and the economy.
Italy also ranked the worst in the digital subcategory, with expats finding it difficult to get high-speed internet access at home. Expats scored the country low on its ability to offer cashless transactions and grumbled over the lack of digital government services.
And what about the others?
Many countries in Asia and the Middle East managed to find spots in the top 20, well above the UK, USA, and Europe. Despite growing resentment within the expat community about how it continues to handle Covid jabs and travel restrictions, Singapore still managed to retain a respectable 13th ranking, with Thailand coming in at 14th and China at 22nd.
Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman, all well known for their tax-free policies and state of the art facilities ranked 12th, 17th, 18th and 24th, respectively.
Surprisingly many European countries scooped up the middle end of the rankings, with Germany, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Greece, and Belgium ranking between 36th and 41st respectively and only France and Spain getting into the top 25.
The USA came in at 34th, and the UK a shocking 45th – below Saudi Arabia, which usually polarises expat opinion thanks to its strict Islamic laws and restrictions on female freedoms.
Results analysis
It’s important to note that the 2021 expat survey was carried in the first week of January 2021, whilst much of the world was still grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The results were based on the usual things that affect expats like a sound economy, the ease of settling in, the helpfulness of locals, the ability to earn, and save etc,.
It is likely that next year’s results will be very different, as expats score countries on their vaccine programmes, the lifting of travel restrictions and their ability to revive the economy post pandemic. Taking this into consideration, the 2022 results are likely to shift the rankings completely on their head. Watch this space.
