Spain and Portugal are Expat Heaven, a New Survey Confirms

Benidorm Will Remove Sunbeds And Umbrellas On Beaches During May

Spain has the best leisure option in the world, says new survey. image: wikimedia

Portugal and Spain are rated as some of the best places to live for expats, but Spain is ranked number one globally for leisure activities.
Taiwan topped the Expat Inside 2021 Survey conducted by Internations for the third year in a row, with expats loving their job security in a prosperous local economy.
Meanwhile Portugal ranked fifth as the best place to live and work in the world – just after Malaysia – with expats praising the climate. Spain ranks as the eighth best place in the world to live and work, but was rated as having better leisure options than its neighbour.
Across the Mediterranean, Italy was ranked as the second worst place for expats to live with many going for broke in tough economic circumstances. One in three expats said their disposable household income is not enough to cover their expenses, compared to 23 per cent globally.
The Internations survey includes 59 countries and territories with a minimum of 50 respondents each. The Quality of Life Index covers 20 factors from seven different subcategories: Leisure Options, Health & Well-Being, Safety & Security, Personal Happiness, Travel & Transportation, Digital Life, and Quality of the Environment. Respondents rated factors on a scale from one to seven.
According to the survey, “In Southern Europe, the Iberian Peninsula is doing great. In addition to Portugal (3rd), Spain (8th) also makes it into the top 10. It even ranks 1st out of 59 in the Leisure Options subcategory, a few places ahead of Portugal (4th). With Finland (4th) and Denmark (10th), there are also two Northern European countries featured among the top 10 of the index. Both land among the top 5 for Safety & Security, as well as Digital Life.”


The Euro Weekly News is running a campaign to help reunite Brits in Spain with their family and friends by capping the costs of PCR tests for travel. Please help us urge the government to cap costs at https://euroweeklynews.com/2021/04/16/ewn-champions-the-rights-of-brits-in-spain-to-see-loved-ones-again/

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Deirdre Tynan

Deirdre Tynan is an award-winning journalist who enjoys bringing the best in news reporting to Spain’s largest English-language newspaper, Euro Weekly News. She has previously worked at The Mirror, Ireland on Sunday and for news agencies, media outlets and international organisations in America, Europe and Asia. A huge fan of British politics and newspapers, Deirdre is equally fascinated by the political scene in Madrid and Sevilla. She moved to Spain in 2018 and is based in Jaen.

Comments