Singapore ranks most liveable location for Asian expats: survey

LONDON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Singapore has been rated as the most liveable location for Asian expatriates in 2019 for the 14th consecutive year, according to a survey by ECA International, a global agency focusing on solutions for businesses operating across borders.

"Unsurprisingly for many, Singapore once again remains the most liveable location in the world for expats relocating from elsewhere in East Asia," the agency's regional director in Asia Lee Quane said in an online briefing.

The other top 20 locations included cities in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway, with several cities at the same place in the ranking, according to the survey.

The survey was done annually by global mobility experts based on evaluation of such factors as climate, health service availability, natural phenomena, personal safety and so on.

Hong Kong dropped 12 places to become the 41st liveable city for Asian expatriates, "due to the disruption and considerable damage caused by Typhoon Mangkhut in September 2018."

"The location ratings scores for Chinese locations have been improving for many years and cities such as Beijing, Nanjing and Xiamen have all seen their scores improve this year, along with many others," Quane said.

Other cities in Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand have also seen higher ratings largely due to infrastructure improvement.