The 13 healthiest countries in the world to live in as an expat

Costa Rican Beach: (Getty/iStock)

When choosing to live abroad, a healthy environment and an affordable and accessible healthcare system will be at the top of the list of things you are looking for.

In a new survey by InterNations, the world’s largest network for people who live and work abroad, expats ranked their health and well-being in the countries that they lived or lived in as part of a wider report on the quality of living for those who move abroad.

InterNations asked 14,300 people living overseas, representing 174 nationalities and living in 191 countries or territories, to rate 43 different aspects of life abroad on a scale of 1-7.

One of the sub-indexes was health and well-being and Business Insider took a look at the top 13:

13. Sweden — The Scandinavian country regularly makes the list for quality of life rankings and in particular ones that demonstrate excellence in affordable and efficient healthcare as well as enviable local surroundings that make expats feel healthy.

Stockholm, Sweden (Flickr/Chas B)

12. Canada — Short working weeks and access to quality healthcare helps propel Canada to the top of the rankings.

11. New Zealand — Although cost of living is relatively high compared to other counterparts in this ranking, health and well-being is rated excellently, by expats.

10. Spain — Having one of the shortest working weeks in the world, combined with a culture that is famed for its healthy diet and attitude towards dining, helps the nation enter the top 10 for health and well-being.

9. Costa Rica — Expats say their health and wellbeing is excellent in this country, which is unsurprising due to the local environment and activities available.


 (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
 (Getty/iStock)

8. France — Access and affordability of quality healthcare is one of the driving factors for expats' happiness and well-being.

7. Germany — The country is reliable for job security and a good quality of life and access to quality healthcare is also rated highly by expats.

6. Denmark — The country has slipped down several rankings due to the rising cost of living impacting on every day life, but health and well-being still remains strong for expats.

Shiny hyggelige people (Shutterstock)

5. Israel — Expats say that health and well-being in Israel is one of the best across the world but the country is ranked low down in another index for personal safety and security.

4. Japan — "When it comes to the quality of medical care, 82% of expats rate this favourably, compared to 62% worldwide. Around three-quarters (76%) are also pleased with the affordability of healthcare," said InterNations in the survey.

3. Finland — Around 75% of expats gave positive ratings for the quality of the medical care and on an average expat salary, expats rated the country highly for affordability.

(scanrail / Getty Images)

2. Taiwan — The country's "quality and affordability of its healthcare and the enviable financial situation of expats" improves life in the country.

1. Austria — Austria has excellent scores for health and well-being, including the quality of air.

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