Russia is continuing to nosedive on a ranking of top destinations for expats, dropping 17 places in the two years since it annexed Crimea and was slapped with Western economic sanctions.
HSBC Bank’s annual list of the world’s best places to live for expats this year ranks Russia 32 out of 46 countries.
The Expat Explorer has surveyed thousands of expats from nearly 100 countries for nine years to determine the most suitable country for foreigners to live in. Its three major criteria include quality of life, money-making opportunities and conditions for child-rearing.
The 10th annual Expat Explorer found Russia in 35th place in the quality-of-life category, 27th in terms of economics, and 31st under the family criterion. Last year, Russia ranked 17th overall.
The RBC business outlet on Wednesday noted the sharpest drop from last year was in the family category, which saw Russia drop from eighth to 31st place in one year.
It highlighted a sharp fall in the expats’ assessment of their children’s ability to foster relationships, access to pediatric healthcare and educational opportunities.
Singapore landed the top spot in the survey as the best destination for expats overall for the third consecutive year.
The survey was conducted by independent research company YouGov for HSBC Expat in March and April 2017. A total of 27,587 expats from 159 countries and territories took part in the online poll.