Thailand still losing placings in major expat survey

Thailand’s appeal as an expat destination is now dropping, according to a new survey.

Thailand’s results in the latest Expat Explorer survey placed the country in 22nd place out of 33 countries surveyed, one spot lower than last year’s results but a full seven places below its 2017 rating. Overall, the findings from this year’s study mirrored the previous year’s results, with the country scoring ninth place in the quality of life category, fourth for physical and mental wellbeing and settling in and sixth for cultural aspects including welcoming local communities.

However, problems were identified as regards the country’s lack of political security, for which it scored 22nd, and especially its lack of fulfilment for working professionals, for which it took the lowest score of any country taking part in the survey. The basic problem is a lack of career progression, and expats with accompanying families saw the overall lack of educational standards as a serious issue, even with local international schools.

As regards salaries and disposable incomes, the results were satisfactory, and the weather, the scenery, the beaches and the overall grasp of the English language in Bangkok and tourist areas also scored reasonably well. One frequently raised criticism was the noticeable lack of Western standards, both in Bangkok and in other regions. Overall in the survey, Vietnam was seen as by far the best location for working expatriates, climbing eight places before settling at 10th position, with Malaysia at 16th, Thailand scraping in at 22nd, the Philippines at 24th and Indonesia not so happy at 31st, two points from the bottom.