Singapore has once again claimed the top spot of ECA International’s liveability rankings for East Asian expats.
The island state has placed first every year since 2005. This was one of the conclusions from the latest Location Ratings survey published by the global mobility expert.
“Singapore has been consistently featured at the top of our liveability rankings for Asian expatriates for well over a decade, and this year is no different,” said Lee Quane, Regional Director-Asia at ECA International. “Singapore boasts an excellent infrastructure and amenities across the board, maintains a low crime rate and has a large expatriate community as well. These aspects attribute to Singapore’s prime spot in the rankings, and the country will most likely continue to hold the top position in the considerable future.”
Elsewhere in the region, Australian cities saw drops in the rankings after liveability scores worsened in every location. Despite the fall, all seven Australian locations included in the list still feature in the top 30 destinations for East Asian workers.
Hong Kong has tumbled 52 places and is now the 93rd most liveable location for overseas workers coming from elsewhere in East Asia. Major Asian capitals such as Seoul and Taipei have overtaken the city as a result.
“The scale of Hong Kong’s fall in our rankings is unprecedented and is a consequence of ongoing socio-political tensions in the city,” said Quane. “Not only are the heightened political tensions worrying for expats living in the region, the protests that have regularly taken place since mid-2019 have had a negative effect on areas of everyday life, which are often taken for granted.”
In contrast, Thai and Vietnamese cities all saw significant improvements to their score and rose in the liveability rankings as a result.
Article published 19th February 2020