Which popular expat destinations have the greatest well-being?
If you have relocated to Australia the answer may well be yes. According to the Better Life Index, released this summer, residents of Australia are the happiest with their lives.
The Better Life Index rates the 36 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in 11 areas that aim to cover every aspect of life, including income, education, health, work-life balance and life satisfaction.
When all the well-being categories in the report are weighted equally, Australia takes the top spot, pushing out traditional heavyweights such as Denmark (7th), Canada (3rd) and the Netherlands (8th).
With all topics given equal importance several popular expat destinations make the top 10 – Australia (1st), Canada (3rd), Switzerland (5th), the USA (6th), and the UK (10th). So, what can you expect if you relocate to these destinations?
Canada
When you consider all factors equally, Canada comes third in the Better Life Index. In terms of health Canada enjoys a life expectancy from birth of 81 years, slightly higher than the OECD average of 80 years. When asked “How is your health in general?” 88% of people reported themselves to be in good health.
For families moving abroad, education is a key consideration, and Canada ranked eighth out of the 36 countries. The good news is Canada is one of the top performing countries in reading literacy, maths and sciences with a score of 527, higher than the OECD average of 497. This points to a high quality education system.
For expats, moving to a new country throws up many unknowns, including safety. How safe will your children be walking to school? Is it safe to walk alone after dark? Obviously neighbourhoods vary, and crime is likely to be higher in urban settings rather than rural ones. However, Canada came just ahead of Japan as the safest OECD nation. The majority (81%) of people questioned say they feel safe walking alone at night, much higher than the OECD average of 67%.
Australia
Australia ranks highly in a number of key topics in the study. Just ahead of Canada for jobs, Australia comes seventh in terms of earnings, job security and unemployment. Over 73% of people aged 15-64 in Australia have a paid job, above the OECD average of 66%.
Australia scored the same in education as Canada, indicating excellent education is something expat families can be assured of.
Switzerland
Switzerland ranked number one for life satisfaction and employment. Nearly 80% of people aged between 15-64 have a paid job, with some 85% of men in paid work, compared with 73% of women.
Life expectancy at birth is almost 83 years, three years higher than the OECD average of 80. Switzerland also demonstrates a high level of community spirit, with 94% of people believing they know someone they could turn to in a time of need.
The United States
The U.S. came top in two of the categories, income and housing. The average household net-adjusted disposable income is US$38,001, far above the OECD average of US$23,047 a year.
The U.S. ranked 15th out of 36 for safety, 1.5% of people reported being victim to an assault in the last 12 months, much lower than the OECD average of 4%. The homicide rate of 4.8 for every 100,000 inhabitants however, is much higher than the average of 2.2. Despite this 77% of people say they feel safe walking alone at night. Among the countries ranked as less safe than the U.S. were Portugal, Switzerland and Spain.
The United Kingdom
With all categories rated equally, the UK came in 10th place for overall well-being. It ranked highly in community, safety, and environment. Education didn’t score as well as the other countries we have looked at, and health was also the lowest of these five countries.
When you’re relocating with your family there are many factors to consider, but looking at these figures, Scandinavian countries continue to dominate in terms of residents’ general well-being. Slightly less developed countries such as Chile, Mexico and Turkey fall at the bottom end of the scale with the lowest scores for well-being, satisfaction and happiness.
Image: Ben Earwicker (www.garrisonphoto.org)