With over 1.4 million members, InterNations can rightly claim to be the world’s leading expatriate community by quite some distance. So when the networking organisation compiled a survey to find the top 10 expat destinations across the globe, most people would sit up and take notice, even if the number one country comes as a surprise.
InterNations has now published results of a survey completed by 14,000 of its members, and covering the crucial elements of expat life. Topics such as employment, quality of lifestyle, settling in, finance, family life and cost of living were all covered off in the survey, and the number one destination at the end of it was….. Ecuador.
Top 10 Expat Countries
- Ecuador
- Luxembourg
- Mexico
- Switzerland
- USA
- Singapore
- Spain
- Philippines
- Australia
- Hong Kong
InterNations uncovered the fact that one of the main problems expats face when relocating is the lack of a feeling of being made to feel welcome. Finding new friends and settling in is never easy, but Ecuador seems to be able to come up with all the answers.
Ecuadorians are seen as being very friendly towards foreigners, and while it may not have a reputation for inflated wages and luxurious living like some of the Gulf states (none of which make it into the top 10), it just goes to show that for a large percentage of the 50 million expats around the globe, perhaps money isn’t everything after all.
Switzerland came out well in the survey too, and a growing number of expats – particularly from Britain – are choosing this stable EU member as their destination of choice. The lifestyle and salaries on offer are appealing, however as a long term destination, some do find it difficult to settle here.
InterNations pinpoints integration as being the key to expat enlightenment, and this makes it all the more staggering that Mexico comes third in the list. Media reports would have us believe that the country is plagued by drug cartels and corruption, and while these factors do exist to an extent, expats residing in the gateway to South America take a really rather different view, perhaps because the locations they opt for are not connected to any of the unlawful activity happening elsewhere.
China, the UAE and Russia all came out of the survey quite badly, with laws, cost of living and language barriers – particularly in China – all cited as negative qualities for these supposedly popular and growing expat destinations.
In terms of continents, America, Europe, and Asia all boast three members of the top 10, with Australia taking ninth position. It’s quite a spread, but who would’ve thought that Ecuador would come out as number one?
It would seem that the Beatles-esque tagline adopted by the tourist board of the South American country rings true with those residing there: “All you need is Ecuador.”
