Belgium tops rankings for bring up expat kids

The latest edition of HSBC’s Expat Explorer survey provides a snapshot of how expatriate parents think their kids are getting on abroad. Belgium came top overall, with the only downsides identified being that more junk food was eaten there and less time spent outdoors. It was followed by Spain, France and Hong Kong, while the UK, US, Qatar and the UAE ranked at the bottom of the table.

The survey looks at different aspects of quality of life for expatriate kids. Overall, 60% didn’t have any problems adapting to a new life abroad, with only 20% finding it difficult. Most seem to adapt to the new life as well as their parents, enjoy their new life even if many miss friends and home. The majority of parents felt like their kids were safer in their new location; the big exceptions being the UK, US and China where nearly a third parents perceived this to be worse.

Learning new languages was commonly very positive outside of anglophone countries and the survey data generally supports the opinion that expat kids have a positive experience. It also looks like one of the major factors affecting well-being is the weather, with kids in Spain, Australia and France spending more time outdoors and less time playing video games or watching TV.

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