The "Friendliest" Countries in the World

A new report shows which are the friendliest countries in the world. The HSBC bank conducted the Expat Explorer Survey to find out which countries offered the most comfortable lifestyles. Researchers questioned people in one hundred different countries between May and July 2011. They asked 3,385 respondents to assess how willing they would be to make different countries their second home. The questions were based on how easy it is to make friends with the local people; learning the local language, fitting in with the new culture, and integrating into the local community. The top-ranked country was New Zealand, followed by Australia, South Africa, Canada and the United States.

Head of marketing for HSBC, Lisa Wood, said: “As the largest global survey of expats, Expat Explorer allows us to capture invaluable insights into expat life and how it differs from country to country, continent to continent and from an expats’ home country of origin.” The lowest ranked country was the United Arab Emirates, which is surprising as around 80 per cent of the whole population comprises of expatriates. Most of these are poorly paid labourers who are unlikely to be eligible for HSBC’s survey. India finished second bottom. Danish expat Pia Mollback-Verbic said the country “is simply a minefield of relentless mental, emotional and practical daily challenges for most non-Indians.”

- www.breakingnewsenglish.com