Malaysia among Top 10 Friendliest Countries in the World

If you are a foreigner assessing on the merits of Malaysia being a place to live or stay for a while as an expatriate, you may be interested to know that Forbes Online has rated Malaysia as among the 10 friendliest countries in the world, based on HSBC's recent Expat Explorer Survey.

To determine which were the friendliest, Forbes isolated the results in four categories: ability to befriend locals, success in learning the local language, capacity for integrating themselves into the community, and ease in which they fit into the new culture. All these four factors play into the ability of expats to create a new support structure, which Dallas-based expat coach Doris Fuellgrabe says is among the most important steps one can take to ease the trepidation and loneliness that often come with relocating.

Better quality of life, a satisfying social life, easy local travel and better housing than in their home country helped put Malaysia in fifth place overall—though many reported difficulty integrating into the local community (often because of a language barrier).

Topping the list is Cayman Islands followed by Australia and Britain according to the survey. HSBC surveyed 5,339 expatriates in nearly 100 countries between May and July 2012.

These are the three nations where it’s easiest to befriend locals, learn the local language, integrate into the community and fit into the new culture, according to the results of HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey, released earlier this month.

On Cayman Islands, a happy Scottish expat noted, “There’s no income or payroll tax, summer all-year-round, hardly any crime, and no pollution. Grand Cayman has all the amenities of a city with the close-knit community of a town. That’s why most people who come here for a short assignment end up staying long term.”

In fourth place ahead of Malaysia's fifth in Forbes Online's World's Friendliest Countries 2012, is Canada, followed by New Zealand, Spain, United States, Bermuda, and South Africa.

In Pictures: The World’s Friendliest Countries 2012


Source: Forbes.. The World's Friendliest Countries