In the midst of political unrest and structural changes in Hong Kong, the city’s allure to expatriates has plummeted, according to «InterNations», which ranked it in the bottom 10 cities for the first time ever.
Expat networking platform «InterNations'» 2020 report ranked Hong Kong at 57th out of the 66 cities it scored, placing it in the bottom 10.
Although the city has traditionally placed in the middle ranks due to renowned disadvantages like high rental costs and poor work-life balance, the report highlighted a new factor that has emerged: political instability.
Worst Expat City for Political Stability
«While Hong Kong has an average performance in [quality of urban life] in general, safety and security seem to be a real concern: the city is rated worst in the world for political stability.»
According to the report, 69 percent of expats are worried about the dangers linked with political instability in the city – quadruple the average of 17 percent when rating all other cities worldwide.
Singapore: Perennial Leader
Meanwhile, Singapore continues to maintain its stronghold as a staple favorite.
High disposable income, political stability, ease of making friends and general safety – the city ranks only second behind Tokyo – are amongst the factors that expats have cited when rating the city-state.
It joins Kuala Lumpur as the two Asian nations to make the top 10 ranks.
Spanish Domination
Interestingly, Spain was the country of choice this year for expats with four cities all breaking the top ranks: Valencia (1st), the country’s third-largest city, Alicante (2nd), Malaga (6th) and Madrid (9th).
Various advantages were cited when rating these four Spanish cities including attractive climate, housing affordability, healthcare and diverse urban life.
