The 21 best economies for expats

The survey was of 27,000 expats from 190 countries and territories.
Image: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
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HSBC this week released its annual expat explorer report, looking at the best places in the world to live if you are a foreigner.
The bank got YouGov to survey nearly 27,000 expats from 190 countries and territories for the report, asking them about how easy it was for them to live, work, and raise a family where they were.
For each category, HSBC calculated a score out of 1 and then used the average of those numbers to work out a ranking.
Below are the results of its survey of expats' experience of different countries, taking into account questions on lifestyle, how easy it is to integrate with the local population, and how easy it is to set up a new life there.
Check it out:
21. Italy: 0.48
Overall: 0.48.
Lifestyle: 0.61.
People: 0.56.
Setting up: 0.29.
20. Mexico: 0.49
Overall: 0.49.
Lifestyle: 0.54.
People: 0.55.
Setting up: 0.36.
T=17. United Arab Emirates: 0.50
Overall: 0.50.
Lifestyle: 0.49.
People: 0.58.
Setting up: 0.42.
T=17. Turkey: 0.50
Overall: 0.50.
Lifestyle: 0.53.
People: 0.54.
Setting up: 0.43.
T=17. Switzerland: 0.50
Overall: 0.50.
Lifestyle: 0.58.
People: 0.53.
Setting up: 0.40.
T=15. Austria: 0.51
Overall: 0.51.
Lifestyle: 0.54.
People: 0.51.
Setting up: 0.47.
T=15. Oman: 0.51
Overall: 0.51.
Lifestyle: 0.49.
People: 0.60.
Setting up: 0.44.
T=13. Malaysia: 0.52
Overall: 0.52.
Lifestyle: 0.49.
People: 0.55.
Setting up: 0.52.
T=13. Japan: 0.52
Overall: 0.52.
Lifestyle: 0.60.
People: 0.64.
Setting up: 0.33.
12. Hong Kong: 0.53
Overall: 0.53.
Lifestyle: 0.48.
People: 0.61.
Setting up: 0.50.
T=10. Norway: 0.54
Overall: 0.54.
Lifestyle: 0.55.
People: 0.55.
Setting up: 0.51.
T=10. Thailand: 0.54
Overall: 0.54.
Lifestyle: 0.54.
People: 0.52.
Setting up: 0.57.
T=8. France: 0.55
Overall: 0.55.
Lifestyle: 0.65.
People: 0.56.
Setting up: 0.44.
T=8. Czech Republic: 0.55
Overall: 0.55.
Lifestyle: 0.56.
People: 0.60.
Setting up: 0.50.
T=6. Taiwan: 0.56
Overall: 0.56.
Lifestyle: 0.51.
People: 0.66.
Setting up: 0.52.
T=6. Bahrain: 0.56
Overall: 0.56.
Lifestyle: 0.52.
People: 0.62.
Setting up: 0.56.
T=4. Australia: 0.59
Overall: 0.59.
Lifestyle: 0.59.
People: 0.61.
Setting up: 0.56.
T=4. Singapore: 0.59
Overall: 0.59.
Lifestyle: 0.59.
People: 0.67.
Setting up: 0.52.
3. Canada: 0.60
Overall: 0.60.
Lifestyle: 0.59.
People: 0.65.
Setting up: 0.56.
2. Spain: 0.61
Overall: 0.61.
Lifestyle: 0.69.
People: 0.64.
Setting up: 0.49.
1. New Zealand: 0.64
Overall: 0.64.
Lifestyle: 0.61.
People: 0.67.
Setting up: 0.64.
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