Taiwan has been named the best destination for expats in 2019 by a new survey of over 20,000 respondents.
The East Asian state was named the number one destination in the 2019 Expat Insider survey, carried out by InterNations, the world’s largest expat community with 3.6 million members.
Taiwan ranked first out of 64 countries for expats thanks to a high quality of life, good personal finances, and great working life, according to the survey. It is rated best in the world for the affordability of healthcare, with 89 per cent of respondents satisfied with this factor (55 per cent was the global average). In addition to the logistical aspects of life, 88 per cent of expats find that Taiwanese locals are generally friendly and welcoming.
A Canadian expat respondent to the survey summarises: “I have found my home in Taiwan. On this friendly island, I have found peace, love, and health.”
Another Asian country, Vietnam, ranked second. Expats there are particularly happy with their career prospects (68 per cent satisfied vs. 55 per cent globally) and their jobs in general (74 per cent satisfied vs. 64 per cent globally). However, Vietnam is not only the highest-ranking country when it comes to working abroad, it was also found to be the best destination for personal finance.
Portugal was the highest ranked European country, in third place overall. According to the survey, Portugal offers an excellent quality of life (1st worldwide) and a “relaxed lifestyle”, as a British expat highlights. It is also one of the world’s best countries for leisure options (2nd): more than four in five expats (83 per cent) are happy with the socializing and leisure activities available to them (vs. 65 per cent globally), and almost every expat (95 per cent) rates the climate and weather positively (vs. 61 per cent globally).
Mexico and Spain rounded out the top five positions.
At the other end of the table, the ten worst countries were found to be Kuwait, Italy, Nigeria, Brazil, Turkey, India, the United Kingdom, Greece, Russia, and South Korea.
Ongoing political uncertainty regarding Brexit has seen the UK plummet in the rankings over the last year, while in bottom position South Korea many expats admit to finding settling down a real challenge and 37 per cent struggle to get used to the local culture (compared to 20 per cent globally).
Top ten countries for expats according to 2019 Expat Insider survey
- Taiwan
- Vietnam
- Portugal
- Mexico
- Spain
- Singapore
- Bahrain
- Ecuador
- Malaysia
- Czech Republic
Article published 6th September 2019