[Global] Evaluating the lives of expatriates worldwide

A new report carried out by the InterNations organisation has drawn a comprehensive picture of the different aspects that surround the lives of those who live and work in a country other than their country of origin, The Costa Rica News reports.

The latest Expats Insider survey was based on five evaluation axes: quality of life, ease of integration, personal economic situation, working life, and family life in the case of expatriates with a family. 14,272 expatriates of 174 nationalities residing in 191 different countries participated. All respondents had to rate 43 different aspects of their stay abroad on a scale of 1 to 7 points.

'Expatriate' generally refers to any person who relocates their residence for work reasons at the request of the organisation for which they carry out their activity. For the Expats Insider survey an expatriate is considered to be any person who for professional reasons lives in country other than the country of origin. 

InterNations establishes in its study ten different profiles of expatriates according to the reasons for the change, age, family and professional conditions and another series of determining variables.

Overall results

InterNations reportedly determined that the average expatriate profile is a man (51 per cent) with a stable personal relationship (63 per cent), approximately 43 years old, who works an average of more than 41 hours per week. Only 21 per cent of participants have dependent children.

31 per cent of the more than 14,000 respondents plan to stay the rest of their lives in their new home, followed by 23 per cent who are undecided, 22 per cent who will do so for a minimum period of 3 years, 20 per cent will remain between 1 and 3, and only 5 per cent plan a stay of less than 12 months. In 81 per cent of the cases surveyed, expatriates have university or postgraduate training.

In 15 per cent of cases, expatriates found their own work in their destination country, 13 per cent were transferred by their companies, 11 per cent are expatriates for reasons related to love and 9 per cent are motivated to improve their quality of life. A further 9 per cent moved for work or training reasons for their partners.

A direct relationship

With the ten different profiles of expatriates as a reference, InterNations establishes a direct link between the reasons for the change and the destination countries: while those transferred by the organisations are primarily sent to Romania, Kazakhstan, Kenya, India or Ukraine, those who move for study reasons usually choose Denmark, Finland, the United States, Germany or the Netherlands.

Although in general terms, Taiwan, Malta, Costa Rica, Mexico and New Zealand are the five countries to welcome the highest number of expatriates, in some cases those destinations vary if the question is connected to the best places to work. In this ranking, the Top 5 is comprised of Luxembourg, Taiwan, Germany, New Zealand and Malta, in that order.

A new report carried out by the InterNations organisation has drawn a comprehensive picture of the different aspects that surround the lives of those who live and work in a country other than their country of origin, The Costa Rica News reports.

The latest Expats Insider survey was based on five evaluation axes: quality of life, ease of integration, personal economic situation, working life, and family life in the case of expatriates with a family. 14,272 expatriates of 174 nationalities residing in 191 different countries participated. All respondents had to rate 43 different aspects of their stay abroad on a scale of 1 to 7 points.

'Expatriate' generally refers to any person who relocates their residence for work reasons at the request of the organisation for which they carry out their activity. For the Expats Insider survey an expatriate is considered to be any person who for professional reasons lives in country other than the country of origin. 

InterNations establishes in its study ten different profiles of expatriates according to the reasons for the change, age, family and professional conditions and another series of determining variables.

Overall results

InterNations reportedly determined that the average expatriate profile is a man (51 per cent) with a stable personal relationship (63 per cent), approximately 43 years old, who works an average of more than 41 hours per week. Only 21 per cent of participants have dependent children.

31 per cent of the more than 14,000 respondents plan to stay the rest of their lives in their new home, followed by 23 per cent who are undecided, 22 per cent who will do so for a minimum period of 3 years, 20 per cent will remain between 1 and 3, and only 5 per cent plan a stay of less than 12 months. In 81 per cent of the cases surveyed, expatriates have university or postgraduate training.

In 15 per cent of cases, expatriates found their own work in their destination country, 13 per cent were transferred by their companies, 11 per cent are expatriates for reasons related to love and 9 per cent are motivated to improve their quality of life. A further 9 per cent moved for work or training reasons for their partners.

A direct relationship

With the ten different profiles of expatriates as a reference, InterNations establishes a direct link between the reasons for the change and the destination countries: while those transferred by the organisations are primarily sent to Romania, Kazakhstan, Kenya, India or Ukraine, those who move for study reasons usually choose Denmark, Finland, the United States, Germany or the Netherlands.

Although in general terms, Taiwan, Malta, Costa Rica, Mexico and New Zealand are the five countries to welcome the highest number of expatriates, in some cases those destinations vary if the question is connected to the best places to work. In this ranking, the Top 5 is comprised of Luxembourg, Taiwan, Germany, New Zealand and Malta, in that order.