Expats living in the U.S. expressed similar concerns in the wake of Trump’s election and his immigration crackdown.
“There’s often prejudice against foreign people,” a Mexican expat in the U.S. said in the InterNations survey. “I’ve lived in both ‘blue’ and ‘red’ states, and there’s not much of a difference.”
Another drawback of the U.S., according to expats, is the cost of health care. More than 7 in 10 said American health care is unaffordable, ranking the U.S. dead last by that measure.
Overall, expats surveyed by InterNations ranked Taiwan as the top place to live in 2019. Kuwait, which many respondents see as unfriendly to foreigners, came in last for the second year in a row.
It has been a tumultuous year worldwide. France’s ranking for political stability dropped thanks to Yellow Vest protests that began late last year. The survey was conducted before the massive protests that enveloped Hong Kong, one of the world’s top destinations for expats.
Argentina, beset by economic woes, ranked last in political stability for the second consecutive year. Those who consider Argentina politically unstable climbed to 60% in the latest survey, up from 42% last year.
Luxembourg ranked as most politically stable for the fourth straight year, followed by Switzerland and Singapore, a possible destination for Hong Kong expats looking for an alternative home base in Asia.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.