Top expat destinations

The Philippines is one of the top 10 countries most favoured by expats.

 

The Philippines ranked 8th of 61 countries evaluated based on the 2014 survey report of Expat Insider, run by InterNations, which is the first international online community for people who live and work abroad. The new report is based on insights drawn from 14,000 respondent-expats scattered across 160 countries.

 

Topping the list of expats’ favourites are Ecuador, followed by Luxembourg (2nd), Mexico (3rd), Switzerland (4th), the United States (5th), Singapore (6th) and Spain (7th). The Philippines ranked higher than Australia (9th) and Hong Kong (10th). On the other hand, the least popular among expats were Greece, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

 

Based on the 197-page report, the Philippines does not really offer much in terms of quality of life. In fact, it obtained mediocre scores in subcategories like leisure options and travel, as well as health, safety and well-being. Neither does it rank high in attracting expats due to lucrative job openings.

 

However, the tourism department’s campaign slogan that it’s “more fun in the Philippines” has gained credence with the high scores given by expats when it comes to finding “personal happiness,” ease of settling in, finding local friends, family life (including availability of childcare and education) as well as ease in managing personal finance and cost of living.  The Philippines is also seen as a paradise for single expats.

 

“Some countries just stand out when it comes to romance. Greece, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and the Philippines are our top spots for expat romance. These are the destinations with some of the highest percentages of expats who either met their partner in their country of residence or whose partner comes from that country. But that’s not all: They also scored well in other matters of the heart, such as the share of participants who are blissfully happy with their romantic relationship.”