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Expat survey puts New Zealand top for emigration - 22 June 2009

A new survey of expatriate British citizens has given New Zealand the top rating as having the best quality of life. The Natwest International Personal Banking (IPB) Quality of Life survey put the country top of the preferred destinations for Brits outside of the UK in terms of quality of life, standard and cost of living overseas.

At the same time, the survey shed light on the healthy fortunes of those who have bought property overseas and left the country for good, indicating that they have become substantially better off since leaving the UK with minimal savings.

More than nine out of ten people surveyed by Natwest and think tank the Centre for Future said that they were happier outside of the UK than they were living at home. This is not such a shock when ‘dissatisfaction’ with the UK was cited as the main reason for leaving in the first place by more than 60 per cent of those who left.

Following New Zealand in the survey was last year’s winner, Canada, with France, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Spain, South Africa and the USA.

The survey also shed some light on the financial situation of the expats questioned. More than 60 per cent said they had left the UK with less than £5,000 in savings, but some 64 per cent said they now had a net worth between £250,000 and £1 million.

Other headline from the survey showed that more than 80 per cent felt their life away from the UK had worked out better than they expected. A mere two per cent said they had made the wrong decision in leaving their own country for good.

Those who left the UK to buy property overseas and make their home in expat countries like New Zealand have also shown that they benefit in the jobs market. Almost 80 per cent of expats said they earn between £50,000 and £85,000 per year – which shows that there are huge benefits to being an overseas worker, or that those who move abroad tend to come from higher-earning groups.

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