China ranks 22nd in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, receiving mixed results. It performs best in the Working Abroad Index (4th): 59% of expats are happy with their local career opportunities (vs. 45% globally), and a further 87% are satisfied with the state of the local economy (vs. 62% globally). In fact, an expat from New Zealand says their favorite thing about living in China is their “general well-being and job satisfaction”. Moreover, 68% of expats are happy with their job security, compared to 61% worldwide. China also scores highly in the Personal Finance Index (6th), with 71% of survey respondents rating their financial situation positively (vs. 64% globally). Another 86% say that their disposable household income is enough or more than enough to cover their living expenses (vs. 77% globally).
On the other hand, China only ranks 43rd in the Quality of Life Index, which pushes the country lower in the overall ranking. In fact, China lands in the bottom 3 for the Digital Life subcategory (57th), with 69% of respondents saying they do not have unrestricted access to online services (vs. 7% globally). An Australian expat shares: “I do not like having no internet freedom.” The country does not perform much better in the Quality of the Environment subcategory (54th): 46% of expats are unhappy with the air quality, more than twice the global average (20%). Additionally, 19% of respondents are not satisfied with the natural environment (vs. 8% globally).
I do not like having no internet freedom.
China also performs below average in the Ease of Settling In Index (39th), with 38% of expats finding it difficult to settle down in this country (vs. 22% globally). However, 64% of expats are satisfied with the ease of finding new friends, which is 16 percentage points above the global average (48%). More than half the respondents (51%) describe their friends and acquaintances as a fairly mixed group of expats and locals (vs. 48% globally). Another 35% are mainly friends with other expats (vs. 32% globally), and just 14% have mostly local residents as friends (vs. 20% globally). A Spanish expat shares, “I like the opportunity to interact with the local people and make a bond, because Chinese people are really friendly.”
The Chinese people are really friendly.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 64% of expats in China are generally satisfied with the official communication on this topic, slightly less than the global average of 66%. More than half (53%) use expat news or international media to stay informed (vs. 32% globally), followed by 42% who rely on social media (vs. 40% globally). Nearly three out of ten expats (29%) say that due to the pandemic, they have decided not to move back home in the near future (vs. 18% globally), while only 10% plan on moving home sooner than originally planned or to yet another country (vs. 11% globally). Lastly, close to half the expats in China (49%) say that the pandemic impacts their lives largely when it comes to personal travel. This is 21 percentage points higher than the global average (28%).
Editor in chief
China ranks 22nd in the Expat Insider 2021 survey, receiving mixed results. It performs best in the Working Abroad Index (4th): 59% of expats are happy with their local career opportunities (vs. 45% globally), and a further 87% are satisfied with the state of the local economy (vs. 62% globally). In fact, an expat from New Zealand says their favorite thing about living in China is their “general well-being and job satisfaction”. Moreover, 68% of expats are happy with their job security, compared to 61% worldwide. China also scores highly in the Personal Finance Index (6th), with 71% of survey respondents rating their financial situation positively (vs. 64% globally). Another 86% say that their disposable household income is enough or more than enough to cover their living expenses (vs. 77% globally).
On the other hand, China only ranks 43rd in the Quality of Life Index, which pushes the country lower in the overall ranking. In fact, China lands in the bottom 3 for the Digital Life subcategory (57th), with 69% of respondents saying they do not have unrestricted access to online services (vs. 7% globally). An Australian expat shares: “I do not like having no internet freedom.” The country does not perform much better in the Quality of the Environment subcategory (54th): 46% of expats are unhappy with the air quality, more than twice the global average (20%). Additionally, 19% of respondents are not satisfied with the natural environment (vs. 8% globally).
I do not like having no internet freedom.
China also performs below average in the Ease of Settling In Index (39th), with 38% of expats finding it difficult to settle down in this country (vs. 22% globally). However, 64% of expats are satisfied with the ease of finding new friends, which is 16 percentage points above the global average (48%). More than half the respondents (51%) describe their friends and acquaintances as a fairly mixed group of expats and locals (vs. 48% globally). Another 35% are mainly friends with other expats (vs. 32% globally), and just 14% have mostly local residents as friends (vs. 20% globally). A Spanish expat shares, “I like the opportunity to interact with the local people and make a bond, because Chinese people are really friendly.”
The Chinese people are really friendly.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 64% of expats in China are generally satisfied with the official communication on this topic, slightly less than the global average of 66%. More than half (53%) use expat news or international media to stay informed (vs. 32% globally), followed by 42% who rely on social media (vs. 40% globally). Nearly three out of ten expats (29%) say that due to the pandemic, they have decided not to move back home in the near future (vs. 18% globally), while only 10% plan on moving home sooner than originally planned or to yet another country (vs. 11% globally). Lastly, close to half the expats in China (49%) say that the pandemic impacts their lives largely when it comes to personal travel. This is 21 percentage points higher than the global average (28%).
The community for expats worldwide
Editor in chief