HSBC Expat’s annual ranking of the best places to live and work has been running for the past 12 years. This year, the ranking is based on responses from 18,059 expats from 163 countries and territories. These responses were collected via an online questionnaire conducted in February and March 2019, conducted by YouGov and commissioned by HSBC Expat.
A representative of HSBC Expat commented: "Vietnam is developing rapidly and the business environment here is very vibrant, although still somewhat limited by cumbersome administrative procedures. Vietnam's economy has grown very strongly and maintained stability since the 1990s. Although Vietnam has been more or less affected by the global economic recession, the economy has recovered rapidly. In recent times, a series of businesses want to diversify their operations and Vietnam has become an attractive destination for investors. The Vietnamese government is making efforts to reform the law to attract investment and improve the business environment."
In addition, the HSBC Expat survey found that Switzerland has overtaken Singapore to become the world’s most livable country. Thanks to its quality of life, highly competitive salaries and beautiful surroundings, Switzerland took the top spot for the first time, having been ranked 8th in 2018. The fastest-rising countries were Turkey, which rose 15 places (to 7th) and Spain, which rose from 13th to 4th in the past 12 months.
Singapore remains the best destination for expats with children, largely due to its highly rated education system, job stability and opportunities, and quality of life. Singapore is the only Asian country to make the top three.
One of Singapore's biggest draws for expat families is its clean and safe environment. 85% of expats "feel safer" in Singapore and rate the "very clean and safe public spaces" the country offers highly. These scores are significantly higher than the global averages of 48% and 41%, respectively.
Singapore also scored significantly higher than the global average when it came to having an “excellent education system” (47% vs. 26%) and being a “good place to raise children” (54% vs. 28%). 62% of expats agreed that the quality of education their children received in Singapore was better than in their home country, significantly higher than the global average of 36%.
According to expats living in Singapore, the benefits of raising children abroad include “being fluent in multiple languages” (69% vs. 68% globally), “better quality of education” (50% vs. 32% globally) and “being more open to new experiences and cultures” (74% vs. 72% globally). In all areas, Singapore scored higher than the global average.
According to HSBC's survey, the best places to live and work for expats in 2019 are:
1. Switzerland (2)
2. Singapore (1)
3. Canada (4)
4. Spain (13)
5. New Zealand (2)
6. Australia (6)
7. Türkiye (22)
8. Germany (3)
9. UAE (10)
10. Vietnam (18)
(in parentheses is position in 2018)
