Australia has retained the top spot in a recent poll of the best places in the world to live in terms of quality of life.
The NatWest International Personal Banking (NatWest IPB) Quality of Life report, which was released this week, indicates that Australia is the best place in the world for expatriates to live followed by Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
The report, which examined the lifestyles and standard of living of British expatriates in popular expatriate destinations throughout the world, revealed that many of the traditional expatriate favorites of France, Spain and Portugal have begun to lose their appeal and are becoming less popular with the expat population.
According to NatWest, 80% of British expatriates living overseas believe that they benefit from a higher quality of life in their host country than they do at home and 71% feel their work/life balance is good to excellent.
Australia remained the most popular destination for British expats. Of those expats living in Australia who participated in the survey, 71% own their own property (compared to the global expat average of only 33%); 73% believe their health has improved since they relocated and 82% cited the weather and quality of life as being the main reason for moving down under.
Commenting on the survey results, Dave Isley, Head of NatWest International Personal Banking, said: “It seems life down under really is the cream of the crop according to this year’s NatWest IPB Quality of Life Index. Continual sunshine coupled with a strong economic stability makes Australia the perfect destination for Brits to set up home. Factors such as an efficient health care system, low crime rates, a clean environment, good education, civic engagement, and a longer-than-average life expectancy also factored in the high scoring.”
The research was based on the opinions and comments of 1800 British expats living throughout the world. While Australia has long been a popular destination for expats, the UAE is a relative newcomer and has gradually increased in attractiveness in terms of quality of life over the last four years. One of the biggest draws of this area of the world is that it offers expatriates tax-free incomes, which mean they can enjoy a higher quality of life at a lower cost.
Elsewhere, European destinations have started to lose their appeal and 63% of the expats based in Europe who were interviewed as part of the survey revealed that they intended to return to the UK.
Are you considering moving abroad? Take a look at our expat destination guides. They contain everything you need to know about setting up life in a new country.
