India Among the Worst Countries for Expats, Survey

By Little India Desk | September 8, 2017

The United States and the United Kingdom are no longer the best destinations for expats to live and work in, according to a recent survey. Bahrain topped the list, with many expats hailing the country as one of the best places to work and raise the family. India figures among the bottom 10, ranking as one of the least favorite countries by expats in 2017.

India Among the Worst Nations for Expats

India’s rank in the Expat Insider survey, conducted among 13,000 expatriates of 166 nationalities, dropped to the 57th position this year, down eight ranks from last year’s placement at the 49th spot. India ranked the lowest in the Family Life Index, which took into account factors such as the availability and cost of childcare and education, quality of education, family well-being, and childcare options. Finland, which was at the first position in the Family Life Index in 2016, retains the spot this year as well.

US and UK Plummet

The survey, which is conducted by InterNations each year, showed that last year’s presidential election in the US and Brexit have played pivotal roles in the decline in rankings of the two countries. Many foreigners now believe that both the US and the UK are not friendly toward foreigners.

Some of the expatriates who took part in the survey said these countries are politically unstable, which is likely to negatively affect the life of expats. They also believe that the quality of living in the US and the UK is steadily decline.

The US, which was at the 26th spot last year, dropped to 43rd position. The country also placed last on the Affordability of Childcare index. UK came in at 54 rank, down 21 notches from last year. Before Brexit, 77 per cent of the expats in the UK were satisfied with the country’s political stability; but after the referendum, the corresponding figure went down to 47 per cent this year.

A Giant Jump for Bahrain

Bahrain, which was at the 19th spot in 2016, emerged on top this year. During the survey, one American expat called Bahrain “a beautiful melting point of many different cultures.” Bahrain outranked its neighbors Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which placed inthe bottom 10 of the 65 countries in the survey.

Taiwan, which topped last year’s survey, dropped to the fourth spot this year. Singapore is at the 10th position, while Hong Kong ranked 39th. Mexico has been a favorite in the Expat Insider survey for many years, and it did so this year too, jumping from the 5th spot to 3rd this year.

Spain and Switzerland topped in the Leisure Options, and the Safety and Security indices, respectively. Denmark offers the best work-life balance for the expats, while Costa Rica is the best place to make friends.

China: Best Place to Work, Worst Place to Live

Two-third of the expat respondents were happy with their careers in China, saying the country is one of the best places to work. However, China ranks 55 in the list of 65 countries, as expats are concerned about over-population and the heavy cost of healthcare and education.