Portugal has climbed 23 spots to be ranked the fifth best expat destination in the world – and the best in Europe.
The Expat Insider ranking, created by international expat network Internations, lists 65 countries based on several guidelines: quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, family life, personal finance, and cost of living.
Portugal did well in many, being described as one of the three “winners” of this year’s list after jumping from the 28th spot last year to fifth.
“The Mediterranean nation mostly improved in the Quality of Life Index, where it makes it to first place, as well as the Ease of Settling In Index (4th place),” the survey reads.
It adds that 93% of expats are satisfied with their life abroad in Portugal, with 29% saying they are “very happy”.
When it comes to “romance”, expats in Portugal also have “very little to complain about: 95% are generally satisfied with their relationship, compared to 76% in 2016.”
According to survey respondents, “the political stability in Portugal has vastly improved, contributing to the strong ranking in the Safety & Security subcategory: one-third rate this factor as very good, compared to only 11% in 2016 – a positive perception that seems to be shared by the local population”.
It also said that while the results for personal safety were already well above the global average in 2016, “95% rate this factor positively in 2017 – an improvement of six percentage points”.
Portugal is also “number one” when it comes to friendliness and feeling welcome. According to the ranking, 88% generally agree that it’s easy to settle down in the country, as opposed to 75% in 2016.
One Brazilian expat appreciates the “kind people, nice weather and food, as well as the beautiful places to visit” in Portugal.
In addition, 89% find it easy to get used to the local culture in Portugal, compared to 74% in 2016. The general friendliness of the population (92%) and the welcoming attitude toward foreign residents (94%) are other factors which have significantly improved (87% and 82% positive ratings respectively in 2016).
Now in its fourth year, Expat Insider is one of the largest surveys worldwide offering an in-depth analysis of expat life across the globe.
More than 12,500 respondents representing 166 nationalities and living in 188 countries or territories answered questions, providing unique insights into what it means to be an expat in 2017.
