Mexico ranked fourth among the favorite countries for emigrants living abroad in the yearly Expat Insider ranking.
The survey also found that expats in Mexico are the happiest in the world: it was ranked first out of 68 countries for personal happiness. One factor in that ranking might be their high regard for the natives. The Mexican population was ranked the friendliest in the world; 64% of respondents said local residents could not be any friendlier, and the country topped the charts with regard to finding friends.
A Spanish respondent liked “the warmth of the people, their capacity to enjoy life and their good humor.”
Compiled by InterNations, the Munich-based guide and network of 3.2 million expats, the study surveyed 18,135 people representing 178 nationalities living in 187 countries, examining factors such as quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, family life and personal finance.
Mexico ranked high for ease of settling in, personal finance and cost of living, scoring two, three and two respectively, much the same as last year, but dropped 12 places in the family life category, from 17 to 29.
For quality of life Mexico scored 22, up two, and for working abroad 21, down four places.
In contrast, Mexico ranked low in terms of safety and security and digital life, a subcategory that was added for the first time.
In terms of gender, Mexico was the second choice for men, and ranked fourth for women.
The average age of expats in Mexico is 54.7, 29% are single and 44% are from the United States. Eleven per cent are Canadian and 5% are British.
Retirees account for 39%, managers 9% and entrepreneurs or business owners 9%.
Mexico’s fourth-place overall rank was down one from last year, but the same as 2016. Eighty-eight per cent of respondents were “generally satisfied.”
Rather less satisfied were those in the United States. Its overall rank was 47, down four places last year, and well down the list from five years ago when it ranked No. 5. Expensive health care and high living costs were among the main concerns.
In addition to Mexico, three other Latin American countries made the ranking’s top 10. Ecuador was highest in third place, Costa Rica seventh and Colombia ninth.
In first place was Bahrain for the second consecutive year and in second, Taiwan. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and India were at the bottom of the list.
The market research firm Finaccord estimated that there were 66.2 million expats in the world in 2017, and their ranks are expected to grow to 87.5 million by 2021.
Source: El Financiero (sp)
