The InterNations organization, which represents expats throughout the world, has released results of its recent survey of perceptions of the countries most welcoming to expats with children. Mexico placed number 8 out of the top 10 nations for friendliness toward expats with kids.
Here is a summary of the the survey results.
1. Uganda
East African country Uganda tops the list as the friendliest destination for expat families. Every single parent rates the friendliness of the local population towards children positively, and seven out of ten (68 percent) are even completely satisfied with the warm attitude towards families, whereas the global average is only 39 percent. Expat parents do not only perceive this country as a friendly place to raise kids, but also as a fairly safe environment: 81 percent rate their children’s safety positively — more than, for example, in the US (75 percent). Additionally, more than nine out of ten parents (93 percent) rate their children’s general well-being positively. An expat parent from UK currently living in Uganda mentions “safety, friendliness, warmth, fun camping trips and nice food” among some of the best aspects of living in this country.
2. Israel
Israel is not only one of the most welcoming destinations for families, where 69 percent of all expat parents consider the local population to be extremely friendly towards children. It also ranks high with regard to education and health: overall, Israel places third among the most popular countries for expat families in general. Indeed, 84 percent of respondents with children feel positive about the quality of education, compared to fewer than two-thirds of expat parents worldwide (64 percent). When it comes to children’s health, Israel has an excellent evaluation, with 92 percent of parents rating this factor positively, compared to a global average of 74 percent. A US American expat parent living in Israel specifically praises “the weather, living close to the beach, affordable schools and the medical care that is available for children”.
(PHOTO: Expat Child)
3. Taiwan
In Taiwan, 97 percent of parents rate the general friendliness of local residents towards families with children positively. What is more, the country is also the most popular destination among expats around the world and has outstanding rankings for working abroad, quality of life, and personal finances. An impressive 85 percent of expats in Taiwan are satisfied with their financial situation, and 83 percent judge the local cost of living favorably, which expats who raise children in Taiwan can also benefit from.
4. Costa Rica
Sunny Costa Rica has many perks besides its delightful weather. Apart from winning the gold medal as the country with the happiest expat population, it is also rated positively by a remarkable 91 percent of expat parents for a friendly attitude towards families. Additionally, seven out of ten parents (74 percent) are satisfied with the local leisure activities for their kids. Families will benefit from the great climate, too: 96 percent of all expats consider this to be an advantage of life abroad in Costa Rica.
5. Thailand
The Land of Smiles makes the top five of the most welcoming destinations for families, where 85 percent of respondents rate this factor positively. Moreover, expat parents will surely be happy to hear that the quality of medical care receives excellent ratings as well. Thus, it is no wonder that 76 percent of expat residents with kids feel positively about their children’s health. An even higher percentage of them (81 percent) rate their children’s general well-being positively.
6. Greece
While Greece secures the 6th position out of 45 countries worldwide for its friendliness towards families, it does not perform well in many other aspects. This destination ranks particularly low when it comes to the availability of education options, with 59 percent of parents rating this factor negatively. Half of the parents (49 percent) feel negatively about the cost of education too. As a result, Greece is one of the least popular countries for expat families overall, ranking 43rd out of 45 in the Family Life Index.
7. Australia
In addition to ranking among the ten most welcoming destinations for expat families, Australia has above-average results for work-life balance: seven out of ten expat residents (71 percent) appreciate this about life in Australia, and parents in particular will be glad to hear it. And their free time is well spent, as Down Under also offers a great variety of leisure activities for kids, with 94 percent of expat parents rating this factor positively.
8. Mexico
Mexicans do not only welcome families with a friendly attitude, but expats in general: The country ranks first worldwide for finding new friends abroad, second for making expats feel welcome and fourth for friendliness. This puts Mexico first in the global Ease of Settling In Index. As for the friendliness towards families in particular, an impressive 87 percent rate this factor positively, while only four percent give it a negative rating.
9. Turkey
Currently, Turkey ranks 60th for safety and security, partly due to its poor ratings for political stability: 62 percent of expats feel negatively about the latter — more than three times the global average of 18 percent. What is more, the country is rather unpopular among expat families specifically: owing to a poor performance with regard to key factors such as childcare or education, it merely places 41st out of 45 countries. Nonetheless, Turkey is considered one of the friendliest and most welcoming countries for expat families. Nine out of ten parents (89 percent) rate this factor positively and a mere four percent give it a negative rating.
10. Philippines
The Philippines just about make the top ten list, with 86 percent of respondents rating the friendliness of the population towards expat families positively — which is still slightly higher than the global average of 80 percent. Expat families with younger children might also be interested in the fact that the Philippines does very well when it comes to childcare costs: 39 percent of expat parents give this factor an excellent rating, as opposed to 14 percent worldwide.
Source: InterNations
