As well as dominating the Expat Economics league tables, Asian countries lead the way for Expat Experience, with four Asian countries featuring in the top 12 of the Expat Explorer Experience league tables: Thailand (2nd), Singapore (4th), Malaysia (5th) and Hong Kong (12th).
Expats living in these countries are more likely than average to report having seen an increase in their quality of life since relocating. This is especially marked for those living in Thailand (83%), which has historically performed very well in the Expat Explorer Experience league tables (ranking 1st in 2011), but replicated across Singapore (76%) and Malaysia (72%). Among the aspects of expat life that contribute to these high scores on the Expat Experience league tables are accommodation, transport and social life, for which Asian countries have scored well on in this year's report.
Expats in Malaysia (69%), Thailand (60%) and, to a lesser extent, Singapore (48%) all report having a better standard of accommodation since relocating, compared to a global average of 39%. One notable exception is Hong Kong, where less than one fifth (19%) of expats reported having a higher standard of accommodation than in their home country. This can be explained by the fact that Hong Kong is one of the world's most expensive places to buy a home due to a supply shortage, low borrowing costs, and an influx of Chinese buyers as well as the fact that limited space affects the size of available accommodation.
The advanced infrastructure of Singapore and Hong Kong has been noted by expats who highlight the quality of commute in these countries in the 2012 report. While on average only 45% of expats now have a better commute since relocating, seven in ten (72%) expats in Hong Kong and more than half (57%) of expats in Singapore have a better commute than in their home country. While expats in Thailand (36%) and Malaysia (44%) come in below the global average for this element of the survey, the results remain positive in light of other Western countries. In the UK only 32% claimed to have a better commute upon relocation, as well as 35% in the USA. Italy scored one of the lowest in the survey as a whole, with only 30% claiming to have a better commute since relocation to the country.
Finally, an important factor for expats moving abroad is to secure a better quality of life and social scene, and Asian-based expats rate their respective countries well on both of these factors. While only a quarter (25%) of expats agree that their social life is more active since moving abroad, expats in Asian countries including Thailand (60%), Hong Kong (52%), Singapore (43%) and Malaysia (39%) generally double this level of agreement.
