India not even in top 30 among expats' preferred destinations
India is not even in the top 30 preferred destinations for expats, as per the Expat Insider Survey 2023 by InterNations. The survey, which explores the best and worst places for living and working abroad, concluded India ranks 36th out of 53 destinations. InterNations is a global expat community with over 4.8 million members from 420 cities worldwide.
Best and worst countries for expatriates
Expats have chosen Mexico as their top favorite destination, with Spain, Panama, Malaysia, and Taiwan following closely behind. Other preferred countries for expats include Thailand, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Bahrain, and Portugal. On the other hand, Kuwait, Norway, Turkey, South Korea, Germany, South Africa, Italy, Malta, New Zealand, and Japan are ranked as the least desirable countries for expats.
Parameters
With over 12,000 participants, Expat Insider conducts rankings of countries based on five indices: quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, personal finance, and the Expat Essentials Index. The Expat Essentials Index specifically encompasses factors like housing, administration, language, and digital life.
Expats love Mexico
Mexico ranks first in the ease of settling in index. Expats appreciate local friendliness, with 91% finding residents friendly (compared to 67% globally) and 89% experiencing friendliness towards foreign residents (compared to 65% globally). The country ranks second in the personal finance index. Mexico tops the culture and welcome sub-category and secured 12th place in the expat essentials index.
Kuwait ranks as the least favorable country
Kuwait is ranked last globally for quality of life, ranking 53rd. 49% expats feel an inability to openly express themselves, which is more than triple the global average of 15%. The availability (47th), affordability (45th), and quality (46th) of healthcare also fall below expectations. Getting accustomed to the local culture poses a challenge for more than a third of expats (36% vs. 18% globally).
How did expats rate life in India ?
India remains in the bottom 10 of the quality of life index for the tenth time, ranking 52nd out of 53 countries, just above Kuwait. Expats in India express dissatisfaction with air quality (73% unhappy vs. 17% globally) and the urban environment (67% unhappy vs. 16% globally). 55% believe the government lacks environmental protection policies, more than three times the global average (17%).
The pros and cons of expat life in India
Expats in India found healthcare facilities, local friendliness, culture, food, and career prospects highly appealing. However, the country fell short of expectations in areas such as travel and transit, environment and climate, leisure options, safety, and security. Most of the expats perceived India as chaotic and unsafe to work in. Nonetheless, they expressed satisfaction in terms of the country's affordability.
