Moving to another country could be the secret of a healthy and happy life for many expats, according to a new survey.
Four out of 10 expats feel healthier and a similar number believe they have a more positive outlook on life after they have moved home.
Children are happier as well – with 59% of parents convinced their family’s quality of life was boosted with a move abroad, says a report from HSBC Expat explorer, a long-running monitor of work, finance and lifestyle for expats.
Parents also believe children’s health improves when abroad.
Parents in The Netherlands are especially pleased, with 76% saying their family health and wellbeing is better after they moved to the country.
Top destination for retiring expats
Older expats are also positive about living in a new country.
They not only enjoy a warmer climate, but 55% also admit they feel happier than they did at home.
The survey results also show that moving to a hotter country seems to have a particularly positive effect.
It seems no coincidence that the warmer climates of Portugal (62%), Thailand (62%), Spain (60%) and Mexico (59%) are home to the world’s happiest expats, said a spokesman for HSBC.
Portugal tops the list for older expats looking for a new home when they retire, with 72% moving for the lower cost of living to boost the spending power of their retirement savings.
Moving to be close to loved ones
In fact, 42% of expats in Portugal are retired, compared with an average 11% worldwide.
France is popular with those looking for the best health care standards and an appealing lifestyle in retirement.
Although colder climes, Canada, New Zealand and Australia are popular destinations for those wishing to keep in close contact with their friends and loved ones. Two thirds of working age expats in Oceania plan to retire there – twice as many as the rest of the world, where the average is 36%.
The 2017 Expat Explorer survey is a global survey completed by 27,587 expats across the world. For a country to join the survey, researchers must have 100 expat respondents, of whom 30 must be parents.
