Skip to Main Content

These Are the Best Countries for Expats to Work In


If you’re considering relocating to a different country for work, some destinations are better than others. HSBC recently conducted its annual Expat Explorer survey, a global survey that looks at 22,318 expats across 163 different countries. When comparing countries based on economics, experience, and family life, the big winner of the group was Singapore—where 47% of respondents said they made more money and found both their health and well-being improved in the country.

If you want to make more money, the best choice for that is Switzerland. People who moved there for work saw an average annual income boost of $61,000, making the average expat paycheck $203,000.

You can compare countries on your own using HSBC’s web tool. Rankings can be drilled down to places where people have the most savings or disposable income or places where people think they have a good work/life balance. All of those are focused under the same categories: Personal finance, Local Economics, and Careers.

According to the survey, the best countries for all three are these:

  1. Singapore

  2. New Zealand

  3. Germany

  4. Canada

  5. Bahrain

  6. Australia

  7. Sweden

  8. Switzerland

  9. Taiwan

  10. United Arab Emirates

Obviously, your mileage may vary depending on what you do for a living, how you’re doing financially right now, and how much of a need there is for people to work in your profession in your country of choice. Still, if you’re considering a move abroad, this is a good short list to start perusing.