11 Worst Countries for American Expats

Moving to another country, whether temporary or permanently, is never easy and it’s even harder in these 11 worst countries for American expats.

It seems that Americans that move abroad are, in part, looking for an adventure, while another big part looks to simply enjoy living somewhere else. A third of those who move abroad like it so much that they even consider moving there permanently, leaving the United States behind. A survey reveals that 81 percent of American expats are satisfied with their life abroad in general, only small percentages showing complete dissatisfaction with their new lives.

Data shows that 56 percent of expats are females, and 44 percent are males, while their average age sits over 45. The top countries chosen by Americans are Germany, China, and Mexico.

Surveys indicate that 8 percent of American expats live in countries that have the same local languages as back home. This is interesting because about a third of American expats speak only English, while only 42 percent speak an additional language. This makes it important that the number of English speakers in the country of destination is as high as possible. If you want,  you can check to see if these are on the 8 worst dressed countries in the world or if they’re not.

In order to create our list we took a look at several lists with the best and worst expat destinations, namely from Expat Insider and the Expat Explorer Survey. And then cross-checked these with a list of the countries where there are the least English speakers. Each country received a score based on their position among the last 20 entries; if they are present among the nations with the fewest speakers of English, then another 5 points is added to the total. In the end, we came up with this list of the 11 worst countries for American expats.

11. Qatar

On its own, Qatar doesn’t sound so bad – it’s one of the wealthiest states in the world, certainly one of the most opulent. Alas, expats are none too happy about their situation. When asked about their quality of life, they barely offered a little over a star. The highest scores Qatar received were for the quality of work abroad and for the money made while working there. At the same time, the main reason for relocating was finding a job there.

Most of those who chose to move to Qatar are men, in a 64 percent ratio, with an average age of 40. While expats are happy with the low crime rate, they’re mostly bored out of their minds since there is little to do in your pastime other than shop.

On top of this, Qatar’s proficiency in English is very low, according to the EF English Proficiency Index.

10. South Africa

Moving to South Africa has its advantages, but it might not be the best choice. Expats who have already made the move complain about the little wage growth and their dwindling savings, as well as the lack of economic confidence. The lack of personal safety is also high up on the list of reasons of why one should avoid South Africa.

On the other hand, plenty of expats praise the good balance between personal life and work, the healthcare they were offered and the overall cost of raising your children, to name a few.

9. Nigeria

Life in Nigeria isn’t all that great, at least for expats. Data shows that people that have moved to Nigeria aren’t too happy with the quality of life there, the country has earned the last place in this ranking for the second year in a row. When it comes to personal finance, Nigeria takes the tenth place, with about 60 percent of expats handing out average ratings when it comes to job satisfaction and 52 percent declaring they enjoy the career prospects opened to them.

Unfortunately, personal safety is a big issue in Nigeria, while the political instability in the region gives expats anxiety.

8. Greece

If expats were to move abroad for the beauty of a country, then Greece would certainly earn a top spot. With the way things are right now in this beautiful Mediterranean country, especially from economic and political standpoints, people aren’t all that happy. In fact, Greece received bad results in all subcategories of the Working Abroad Index, including job and career, the work and life balance, as well as Job Security.

On the other hand, Greece’s hospitability makes it one of the leading nations when it comes to making expats feel at home. Foreigners also declared to be taken with the friendliness of the local population.

7. Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a pretty nice country to live in, despite what Borat may tell you. Unfortunately, expats aren’t all that happy with the way things have changed for them since moving. In fact, Kazakhstan ranks 49^th when it comes to personal happiness and 54^th when it comes to people’s health, safety and well-being, landing on the 59^th place in the overall ranking for the quality of life.

On the other hand, the locals are viewed as friendly, which makes settling in a bit easier than in other countries. There’s also the issue that Kazakhstan has a rather low English proficiency level, which may make it a bit more difficult for Americans to fit right in.

6. Egypt

Egypt has changed a lot in the past few years and it’s still changing. Expats are not that thrilled with many aspects of their lives, including how much disposable income they have or how much their wages have increased, giving them a pretty low economic confidence while also fearing for the security of their jobs.

Expats are also quite disappointed with the quality of their lives, as well as with the healthcare they are being offered, which is, of course, disappointing. Egypt is also among the last twenty countries with the lowest English proficiency according to the EF English Proficiency Index.

5. Turkey

Most of those who have chosen Turkey as their destination have done so for love, data shows, followed by those who were seeking an adventure. When they got there, however, things changed a bit. While people are moderately happy with the quality of life they have in Turkey, they’re disappointed in their family lives. 69 percent of expats living in Turkey have said they are generally satisfied with their lives there, according to Expat Insider.

The locals are viewed as being generally friendly, many of the expats making friends quickly following the move. The local culture, however, is a bit challenging, especially for those coming from western cultures.

4. Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a challenge for expats for many reasons, especially when it comes to blending in. Only 41 percent of the participants in Expat Insider’s survey consider the locals to be friendly. Furthermore, adapting to the local culture is a challenge, with most of the expats saying they don’t feel at home in their new home.

Expats further have a big issue with adapting to the language in Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, most don’t find it hard to live in a country without speaking the native tongue.

3. Italy

Despite all the history that is associated with Italy, the country is not really among expat’s favorites. In fact, the overall index for Italy is extremely low, ranking 58 out of 64 countries. The highest scores it received were for the quality of life and the ease of settling in, but people are having issues in the “Personal Finance” category.

On the other hand, most expats who chose Italy say they’ve done so for love, while others simply had their hearts set on Italy, which explains why about two-thirds of them say they feel “at home” here. 74 percent of expats say they are generally satisfied with life in Italy.

2. Brazil

The fifth largest country in the world is full of diversity, which is obviously a nice thing, especially given the warm Latin spirit. Brazil landed on the 57^th spot out of 64 countries on Expat Insider’s list and ranks last on Expat Explorer Survey from HSBC.

One thing expats like in Brazil is they ease of settling in this new country, declaring they feel welcome, actually putting the country on the tenth spot on the list of the nations opening their arms to expats and foreigners in general.

What expats seem to appreciate most is the culture they encounter upon moving to Brazil and the way they manage to blend in, making friends with ease.

1. Kuwait

Kuwait is a small country and somehow it managed to make it on the list of the countries where expats really don’t enjoy living in. The country landed on the last spot on Expat Insider’s list and last sixth nation on the Expat Explorer Survey list.

One aspect expats living in Kuwait hate is the fact that they cannot live there with their partners, which means they’re forced to engage in long-distance relationships. Another big problem expats face is settling in, which is mostly due to the differences in culture.

American expats also have an issue with the native language since Kuwait has an extremely low proficiency in English. All in all, Kuwait is at the top of the list of the 11 worst countries for American Expats.