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Where in the world expats like to live most, and what they miss in Germany

Germany offers foreign experts and executives interesting and safe jobs; however, as regards digitalization, it is rather lagging behind in the general picture, and it makes it very difficult for foreign employees to settle in and establish new contacts.

As in previous years, InterNations, the largest global network of people living and working abroad, interviewed its members in the ‘Expat Insider 2018 Survey’ on their living conditions and has recently published the results.

More than 18,135 interviewees living in 187 countries have taken part. With their replies, they are providing us with unique insights into life as an expat in 2018.

Data on 68 countries were evaluated:

According to that, right now the best places to be for expats are Bahrain, Taiwan, Ecuador, Mexico, Singapore, Portugal, Costa Rica, Spain, Colombia, and the Czech Republic.

The least attractive places, however, are Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Peru, Egypt, Turkey, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

And where does Germany stand in this ranking?

Germany only managed 36th place, losing 16 places compared to the previous year!

In contrast to this, however, many expats find it extremely difficult to take root in Germany and establish social contacts:
Above all, it is the language that acts as an enormous barrier here. Without an adequate command of German, getting into private contact with Germans is next to impossible. And there is also the fact that we in Germany still tend to keep our working and private lives separate, which means that workplace contacts will not automatically lead to joint leisure activities with colleagues.

Hence, if German organizations are vying for experts at a global level and want to retain them in the long term, it will become increasingly important to support them intensively in learning the language and understanding the German way of life. This is the only way for expatriates and their families to feel at home in Germany in the long run.