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UK struggles to keep up with
other expat destinations

The UK finds itself bottom on the 2011 Raising Children Abroad league table, ranking much lower than European counterparts France (1st) and the Netherlands (2nd).

One of the key drivers behind this poor performance is the cost of raising children in the UK, with the average expat parent spending $12,790 a year on childcare per child putting it top for cost in this category. More so, 89% of expat parents rated this as more expensive than in their home country compared to the global average of just 54%.

Education seems to be another area where UK expats' pockets are hit particularly hard, with an average annual expenditure on education of $15,419.49 per child compared to a global figure of $11,558.94 – and more than double that of France ($6,780.30) and the Netherlands ($6,416.67). 78% of expats in the UK believe the cost of their child's education is more expensive since relocation compared to just 30% in France, 46% in the Netherlands and a global average of 67%.

The UK also fares poorly in terms of the lifestyle children experience after relocating; 31% of expats here, for example, say their children are spending less time playing sports, compared to a global average of 22%. This trend is also seen in the number of children spending less time outdoors (UK 38% vs average 32%) and spending less time with their parents (UK 22% vs average 14%).

Perhaps as a result, 27% of expat parents believe the social integration of their children has deteriorated since relocating compared to an average of 22%.

In contrast to this, in France where 53% of expats think that since relocating their children spend more time outside and 47% more time playing sports, parents are much less likely to suggest that their child's social integration has deteriorated since moving.

UK struggles to keep up with other expat destinations graph

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