Expat Existence - in detail
Overall findings
CHART - Singapore and UAE are the best expat locations
Data listed best (higher figure) to worst (lower figure).
| COUNTRY | Longevity | Earn & Save | Luxurious | Accomm. | AVERAGE SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 10 |
14 |
14 |
15 |
13 |
| UAE | 9 |
13 |
15 |
12 |
12 |
| US | 13 |
12 |
10 |
14 |
12 |
| Belgium | 12 |
7 |
11 |
13 |
11 |
| Hong Kong | 11 |
14 |
12 |
4 |
10 |
| Germany | 14 |
4 |
5 |
11 |
8 |
| Netherlands | 15 |
9 |
3 |
5 |
8 |
| Canada | 8 |
7 |
6 |
10 |
8 |
| India | 1 |
15 |
13 |
1 |
7 |
| Australia | 2 |
7 |
7 |
10 |
6 |
| China | 3 |
7 |
9 |
6 |
6 |
| Spain | 4 |
1 |
8 |
8 |
5 |
| France | 5 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
5 |
| UK | 6 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
Method for calculating the league tables
Countries were measured on how long expats lived there, their ability to earn as well as save the level of luxury they experienced and the quality and cost of accommodation in their new country. For example:
| BEST COUNTRY | Ranking Criteria | Good score indication |
|---|---|---|
For lifestyle |
1. Longevity |
Attracts new expats and where expats settle down |
2. Earn and save |
Where expats can earn over £100k and increase their savings |
|
3. Luxurious |
The biggest increase in luxury across 11 categories |
|
4. Accommodation |
An increase in the quality of accommodation. |
Scoring
- The final ranking is based on the average score for a country across the criteria
- Each of the criteria are weighted evenly
- Sample size of 2,155 compared with the total expat population of 17.1m (OECD estimate)
- Only countries with more than 30 responses were included in country specific analysis.
Standard of accommodation
Almost three quarters (74%) of expats living in Singapore said that the quality of their accommodation had improved since moving away from home, the highest amount recorded in the study. This was followed by expats living in the United States (61%) and Belgium (59%).
The UK was identified as the most expensive expat location for accommodation, with over three quarters (85%) of expats living in the UK revealing that their living costs had increased. Only one-fifth (19%) of respondents living in the UK also stated that the quality of their accommodation had increased. India was the cheapest country, with only one-fifth (21%) of expats living in the country claiming that their costs of accommodation had increased. The Netherlands (68%) and Singapore (64%) were also identified as expensive locations.
GRAPH - The quality of expats accommodation had improved since leaving home (%) top three countries
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Popular destinations
Europe is a popular destination overall in terms of the length of time expats stay there– interestingly over three quarters (82%) of expats now living in the Netherlands have been there for three or more years, followed by Germany (77%) and Spain (76%).
Ireland and New Zealand have the greatest percentage of global travellers, with over three quarters (80%) of respondents originally from both countries stating that they had been away from home for longer than three years.
GRAPH - Away from origin for three or more years (%) top three countries
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Earn and save
Hong Kong-based expats have the highest salaries in the world, with almost half (49%) earn more than £100,000 p.a. and, unsurprisingly perhaps, the highest paying professions were revealed to be in finance and management.
GRAPH - Salary above £100k (%) top three origin countries
GRAPH - Salary above £100k (%) top three resident countries
GRAPH - Salary above £100k (%) top three professions
The research also revealed that despite the current economic climate, expats were spending more whilst still being able to save. Over half (52%) of expats spend more on food in their new country of residence and 58% also invest and save more in their resident country. Expats save 53% on commuting by living near work. Top countries for saving included India, the UAE and Singapore.
GRAPH - Net change in spending habits (%) overall
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Luxurious lifestyle
The report also investigates whether expats’ lifestyles are more luxurious than the lives they have left behind and how long people are choosing to stay living away from home. Countries were rated on a number of categories including the access to private healthcare, access to more than one property, ability to own a pool and to employ staff (such as cleaners). Across the 11 categories of perceived luxuries, on average expats reported an increase in eight of these factors, with employing staff ranked as the highest increase. The UAE was the most luxurious destination, with expats experiencing increases in 10 of the 11 categories, followed by Spain with 9 out of the 11. The UK was ranked the least luxurious with decreases recorded in nine of the 11 luxuries.
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Download Expat Existence report summary
Media enquiries - for further information on the survey please call: Tim Mullen, Hill and Knowlton on: +44 (0)207 413 3465 or Anouchka Burton, Hill and Knowlton on: +44 (0)207 413 3181
