Expat Insider 2016 Survey reveals top destinations for expats

East Asian island Taiwan makes the run for the most popular destination for expatriates, beating last year’s favorites Malta, Ecuador and Mexico.

Munich, 29 August 2016 — Newcomer Taiwan tops the list of the best places to live abroad in the third annual InterNations Expat Insider 2016 survey. With more than 14,000 respondents, it is one of the most extensive studies ever conducted to explore the general living situation of expatriates. And this year’s top ten hold another big surprise: The Czech Republic has jumped from 22nd to 10th position out of 67 countries worldwide; along with Malta and Austria, it is now among the European top scorers. Apart from typical expat destination Luxembourg, the most popular places for living and working abroad in 2016 are perfect for adventurers: according to InterNations, the largest global network and information site for expatriates, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and Australia prove to be great homes for global minds.

Taiwan and Malta Outdo Ecuador

The InterNations Expat Insider survey ranks countries by a variety of factors such as the quality of life, personal finance, working abroad, and settling in. After ranking first for two years, Ecuador has been dethroned by career boosters Taiwan and Malta. The country has dropped from a strong 7th rank to a mediocre 30th position in the Working Abroad Index, mainly due to heavy losses in the Job Security subcategory, where it comes in 50th place. Even worse, only 6 percent, about one-third of the global average of 17 percent, believe the state of the country’s economy to be very good. As oil is Ecuador’s key export, its low price has had adverse effects on the economy. Despite the difficult state of the Ecuadorian economy, 27 percent of expats there are very happy with their financial situation, which is almost twice the global average of 15 percent. This may be because four out of ten expats in Ecuador (41 percent) are retirees and may not be relying on Ecuador’s economy for their income.

In addition to the best overall rating, Taiwan also holds first place for personal finance and quality of life, and second place for its working conditions. An impressive 85 percent of expats are satisfied with their financial situation, compared to a global average of 64 percent saying the same. An ever higher percentage of expats in Taiwan praise the quality and affordability of the local healthcare system, with 94 and 95 percent respectively. Over one-third of expats in Taiwan (34 percent) are completely satisfied with their jobs, which is more than twice the global average of 16 percent. Looking at these results, it comes as no surprise that one in six expats living in Taiwan (17 percent) has entered the country seeking — and obviously finding — a better standard of living.

Malta, ranking second this year, has jumped from 42nd to 6th position for personal finances, despite the fact that one-third of working expats in Malta say their income is generally lower than back home. This may be due to the high rankings for general cost of living and affordable housing, which are both rated very well by 30 percent of the survey respondents, as opposed to a global average of only 14 and 13 percent respectively. Luckily, there are plenty of options to spend one’s money on: due to the country’s first position worldwide for climate and weather, as well as the highly rated availability of leisure options, expats can find a wide range of diversions right on their doorstep.

Europe Winning the Hearts of Expats

While Taiwan has ousted two-time champion Ecuador to win this year’s survey, the true winner of the Expat Insider 2016 survey is Europe: six out of the ten countries that record the highest leaps in the overall ranking are situated on this continent — apart from Finland, all of them are located in Southern and Eastern Europe. Whereas Finland’s jump ahead is mainly due to its third position in the Health & Well-Being subcategory, Mediterranean nations Cyprus and Spain are praised for welcoming foreigners with open arms, with an 8th and 5th position respectively.