The Friendliest Countries in the World for Expats 2018

A 2018 survey from InterNations, the largest global network and information site for people who live and work abroad, has looked at data and comments supplied by almost 13,000 expats from 188 countries and territories to reveal which are the friendliest countries in the world to live.

Portugal claims the title of the most welcoming country for expats, according to the latest results of the Expat Insider survey. An overwhelming majority of 94% of expats currently living in Portugal said locals have a friendly and helpful attitude towards expats. Rounding out the top five spots are Taiwan, Mexico, Cambodia, and Bahrain.

Not ranking in the top ten – or even top 20 – are Ireland and the UK, which are in 30th and 56th place, respectively, reflecting how unwelcome people from abroad can feel in these countries. On the other hand, Portugal has been ranked number one, followed by Taiwan, Mexico, Cambodia and Bahrain.

Freedom in the World 2018

Freedom in the World is an annual global report published by Freedom House in the U.K. measures political rights and civil liberties, composed of numerical ratings and descriptive texts for each country and a select group of territories. The 2018 edition covers developments in 195 countries and 14 territories from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017.

• Democracy faced its most serious crisis in decades in 2017 as its basic tenets—including guarantees of free and fair elections, the rights of minorities, freedom of the press, and the rule of law—came under attack around the world.
• Seventy-one countries suffered net declines in political rights and civil liberties, with only 35 registering gains. This marked the 12th consecutive year of decline in global freedom.
• The United States retreated from its traditional role as both a champion and an exemplar of democracy amid an accelerating decline in American political rights and civil liberties.
• Over the period since the 12-year global slide began in 2006, 113 countries have seen a net decline, and only 62 have experienced a net improvement

 

Global Wealth Report 2018

Global wealth increased by US$ 14 trillion last year – with China ranking second after the USA. Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Report  2018 breaks down the world's wealth and analyses the global outlook. The report is the most comprehensive source of global household wealth information. It analyzes wealth held by 5.0 billion adults across the globe, from the least affluent to the wealthiest individuals. Now in its ninth edition, the report includes a focus on female wealth holdings, in particular on gender differences with males.

The global mean wealth of US$ 63,100 per adult masks considerable variation across countries and regions.

Switzerland (US$ 530,240), Australia (US$ 411,060) and the United States (US$ 403,970) again head the league table according to wealth per adult. The ranking by median wealth per adult favors countries with lower levels of wealth inequality and produces a slightly different table. This year, Australia (US$ 191,450) edged ahead of Switzerland (US$ 183,340) into first place.

Global wealth is projected to rise by nearly 26% over the next five years, reaching USD 399 trillion by 2023. Emerging markets are responsible for a third of the growth, although they account for just 21% of current wealth.