The countries that bend over backwards for rich foreigners

In their role as global economic powerhouses, the BRICS are wooing the world’s wealthy expats.
In their role as global economic powerhouses, the BRICS are wooing the world’s wealthy expats.
Image: Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino
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Ever wonder how wealthy foreigners are faring in your country, compared to others around the world? HSBC just released its annual rankings of the best places to live as an expat, which it calculated using a wide range of factors from salaries and career potential to family life and other quality-of-life indicators.

Here’s the complete list:

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HSBC drilled down to rank the countries by various factors such as economics. Its ranking of financial wellbeing used measures of total household income, personal discretionary income, and confidence in the local economy to calculate country scores. Asia and the Middle East look particularly cushy:

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Regionally, rich expats are getting the most out of living in Asia, where 14% make over $250,000 per year, compared to 7% globally. China is by far the most popular destination for the wealthy, leading other popular emerging markets. Here’s where money is most concentrated:

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What’s leading the wealthy to flit from one destination to another? Rapid growth. Companies are more likely to send employees to economies where business opportunities are raging. For the expats who forge ahead, the rewards are often far better than what’s on offer at home.