Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are included among the “worst places for expats” to live in, with Kuwait topping the list, and Saudi Arabia coming in fifth, a survey published annually by the global expat support network InterNations has revealed.
Greece, in spite of its popularity as a tourist destination, was rated the second “worst place for expats”, followed in third place by Nigeria and in fourth place by Brazil.
Taiwan, Malta and Ecuador were rated the “best places” for expats, in descending order, with Taiwan in first place.
In Taiwan, At least 34% of expats said they were “completely satisfied” with their jobs, which was more than double the global average of 16%t.
Neither the UK nor the US were rated in the top 10 of either the best or worst list.
The survey polled some 14,300 expats of 174 nationalities, who are currently living in one of some 191 countries or territories, on 43 different aspects of their lives in their current country of residence.
The questions covered such topics as healthcare, safety, education, childcare and the cost of living, with respondents asked to rate these on a scale of one to seven.
The Nordic nations are the most content, according to the World Happiness Report 2017 produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012.
Countries in sub-Saharan Africa, along with Syria and Yemen, are said to be the least happy of the 155 countries ranked in the fifth annual report released at the United Nations.
InterNations 2016 survey
Best countries for expats:
1. Taiwan
2. Malta
3. Ecuador
4. Mexico
5. New Zealand
6. Costa Rica
7. Australia
8. Austria
9. Luxembourg
10. Czech Republic
Worst countries for expats:
1. Kuwait
2. Greece
3. Nigeria
4. Brazil
5. Saudi Arabia
6. Egypt
7. Mozambique
8. Qatar
9. Italy
10. Tanzania
To read and download the InterNations report, click here.
