Expats are people living outside of their native country. The reasons they’re doing so include jobs and career, lifestyle choices, education and for love and family. But what countries are the most welcoming to expats?
We compiled a list based on data from the InterNations’ fifth annual survey as below
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Vietnam
Vietnam still an attractive market, with more FDI expected: GBS
Ease of settling in: 31st out of 68 • Working abroad: 7th out of 68 • Vietnam got a thumbs up for cost of living from 91% of expats. They think their household income is more than enough to cover their expenses in the Southeastern Asian nation. Vietnam ranked third in the cost-of-living index. It ranked second in the career prospects and satisfaction part of the working abroad index, and first in where it’s easy to apply for a job. Also in the ease-of-settling-in index, Vietnam ranked highly in friendliness (sixth) and finding friends (12th).
Luxembourg
Ease of settling in: 40th out of 68 • Working abroad: 9th out of 68 • The tiny Western European nation ranked first in the safety and security section of the quality-of-life index for expats as well as first for economy and job security under the working abroad part of the index. Luxembourg also was in the top three countries for expats in the ease of going through the registration process and opening a bank account, categories under the ease of settling in index.
Panama
Ease of settling in: 27th out of 68 • Working abroad: 16th out of 68 • Panama has shown dramatic improvement on the list, moving up 23 places to 13th in 2018 from 36th the previous year, the biggest gain of any country. Respondents were satisfied with their life abroad and nearly four out of five were satisfied with their financial situation. The survey showed expats in Panama were more encouraged by their career prospects. The Central American nation was boosted by the expansion of the Panama Canal, which improved business outlook.
New Zealand
Ease of settling in: 22nd out of 68 • Working abroad: 10th out of 68 • New Zealand is considered to be one of the world’s digital havens, and 93% of expats were happy with the availability of online services, the third-highest score. It was easy to open a bank account there, boosting New Zealand’s ranking among nations for ease of settling in. New Zealand ranked highly in the working abroad categories for work and leisure (seventh) and economy and job security (14th) and the family life category of availability of childcare and education (third). A high percentage of expats, 31%, inquired about gaining citizenship after moving to New Zealand.
Australia
Ease of settling in: 19th out of 68 • Working abroad: 13th out of 68 • Australia recovered much of the ground it lost in 2017 and is 12th on the current Expat Insider list. Among the areas where Australia improved were personal finance, quality-of-life and ease of settling in. Expats liked the weather down under, which allowed them to explore nature more frequently. As many as 38% of expats in Australia inquired about gaining citizenship after moving there, a high percentage.
Singapore
Ease of settling in: 18th out of 68 • Working abroad: 14th out of 68 • The island city-state south of Malaysia is known for being a well-run, multinational nation and is one of the world’s financial hubs. Singapore ranked fourth out of 68 nations in quality of life and graded well in the other indexes. What hurt Singapore was its cost-of-living score, where it placed 58th out of 68 nations. In terms of working abroad, Singapore scored in the top 10 in the subcategories of economy and job security and career prospects and satisfaction. In Singapore, 31% of expats are managers and 9% are entrepreneurs. Singapore was also 12th on the family life index, ranking second only to Finland in the subcategory of quality of education.
Bahrain
Ease of settling in: 1st out of 68 • Working abroad: 1st out of 68 • Bahrain retains its position as the most desired nation for expats for a second year in a row. The Gulf state scores well in settling in and working abroad. Bahrain’s ratings improved among expat families, and it is the most highly ranked nation among expat women around the world.
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