The HSBC Expat Explorer survey said 61% of respondents said they found it easy to make friends in Malaysia.
Malaysia’s score was above the global and regional figures of 53% and 55% respectively, according to the survey which involved more than 27,500 expatriates. HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd announced the survey results in a statement today.
“While Singapore has again been rated by expats as the best country in the world to live and work in, Malaysia offers simplicity and smooth transition for expats in finding accommodation (61%), organising healthcare (54%) and arranging childcare and schooling (52%).
“In fact, once expats settle down, life continues to be positive for most of them, where more than half (55%) live in a better property than they would have had in their home country. This group also have the means to take more holidays and 28% of them have more domestic help, while 18% even say they donate more to charity,” The Edge Markets quoted HSBC Bank Malaysia as saying.
The bank’s country head for retail banking and wealth management Lim Eng Seong said the survey showed that expatriates in Malaysia comprise mostly Europeans and those from East Asia.