Malta is (almost) the best place in the world for foreigners, says Expat Insider
Few places keep expats happier than Malta.
Malta has been ranked as the second-best place in the world for foreigners to live by an industry survey of more than 14,000 respondents.
And while Taiwan was considered the better overall bet, the survey found that nowhere topped Malta when it comes to love. Seventy per cent of expats in Malta are in a relationship, 64 per cent are delighted with their partner, and 44 per cent live here with a partner who is from a third country – double the global average.
The Expat Insider 2016 survey asked respondents to rate 43 different aspects of life abroad on a scale of one to seven, with topics ranging from the friendliness of locals to taxation and provision of services.
Malta ranked well in all quality of life sub-categories, topping the list for leisure options and coming a close second to Costa Rica when foreigners were asked to rate their personal happiness.
Expats also rated Malta very well when asked how easy it was to settle down and make new friends.
Ratings were less flattering when foreigners were asked to rate their work experiences. It seems foreigners working here are not as pleased with their work-life balance as they were a year ago, with a smaller percentage saying they are satisfied.
Almost half of all Malta-based foreigners who took the survey said they were planning on living in Malta forever – much higher than the 31 per cent global average.
Malta’s second-place finish represents an improvement from last year’s result, when the country finished third in the overall rankings. Ecuador, which topped the 2014 and 2015 editions of the survey, is now third.
Vietnam was this year’s biggest mover, shifting a massive 24 places to place in 11th after finishing 35th last year. Uganda and Finland also registered big gains.
On the other hand, the survey makes for painful reading for the governments of the UAE, Indonesia and Hong Kong. All three countries registered steep declines over the past year.
But even they can at least take some solace in the fact that they are not Kuwait, Greece or Nigeria: the three countries sit at the bottom of the 67-country list.
Top 10 countries for foreigners
1. Taiwan
2. Malta
3. Ecuador
4. Mexico
5. New Zealand
6. Costa Rica
7. Australia
8. Austria
9. Luxembourg
10. Czech Republic
Bottom 10 countries for foreigners
67. Kuwait
66. Greece
65. Nigeria
64. Brazil
63. Saudi Arabia
62. Egypt
61. Mozambique
60. Qatar
59. Italy
58. Tanzania
Additional Info
- Article Source: The Times of Malta
- External link to source: Original article
