Researchers found that Portugal boasts the fifth best quality of living for expats anywhere in the world, a ranking which would have been considerably higher had it not been for the country’s dismal performance in terms of job security, work-life balance and happiness with their jobs and careers.
The aim of InterNations is to share a detailed picture of life abroad across all continents: why people relocate, what their daily life is like, and how satisfied they are.
The country rankings list the best (and worst) among 64 popular destinations across the globe, focusing on essential topics: quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, family life, and personal finance.
In the 2015 rankings, Portugal fairs strongly in terms of quality of life, and is one of the biggest climbers on the list, having risen ten places this year, settling behind Ecuador, Singapore, Austria and Switzerland.
In the sub-category of health, safety and well-being, Portugal comes in third, while it is rated seventh for happiness, 13th for leisure and a predictable 20th in terms of transport and travel.
Portugal was also highly-rated by expats when it came to the ease of settling in, where it was once again placed in fifth place. In terms of feeling welcome, Portugal came in second behind Ecuador, while it was the third friendliest country for expats, but down in 27th as far as language was concerned.
As far as Portuguese expats were concerned, they only came in behind Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada when it came to raising children in a mono-lingual household abroad, with one in five Portuguese families opting to stick to one language when in the confines of their homes.
Portugal was among the worst nations according to expats when it came to working.
Portugal was ranked second-last on the list for working abroad, and only beat Greece in terms of job security and the potential of progressing in their respective jobs and careers.
There was an improvement with regard to the cost of living here, with Portugal placed 15th, and was only beaten by four European Member states, all of which are former Eastern Bloc countries.
However, expats were less than happy with personal finance here, placing Portugal in the bottom quarter of the rankings in 48th.
There is also an element of gender inequality experienced by expats living and working in Portugal. While men here voted Portugal as the tenth best destination, women placed it mid-table in 27th position.
Expats here were also asked how healthy romantic relationships were, with Portugal said to be the ninth best for romance, and the second best in Europe behind Malta.
For more information on this study, visit: www.internations.org