Foreigners living in Mexico put aside the serious security issues some areas of the country face and focus on the quality of their culture, the sympathy of local people, and ease of making friends. According to a survey by the InterNations portal, the world’s largest network for people living abroad, Mexico is the best location for expatriates for the tenth year in a row. It seems that for another year, people from other countries have turned a deaf ear to locals’ constant complaints about a foreign invasion that is driving up prices and driving them out of the cities’ most central neighborhoods.
1.17 million people already live in Mexico. According to a survey by the Mexican government, most come from the United States, Venezuela, Guatemala or Spain and stay here because Mexico is the first country that can legally settle and work and the first thing about the sympathy of the locals they interact and it’s unprecedentedly easy to make friends. Both with locals (91% vs. 67% worldwide) and with people from other countries (89% vs. 65% ease of making friends in other countries).
However, the residents are also no strangers to the national security problems that the country suffers from. Mexico ranks 45th when it comes to political stability and 18% of expatriates do not feel safe here, a much higher percentage than the global average (8%). In addition to the robberies and kidnappings reported by the US government’s State Department, there are tragedies that linger in the collective imagination, such as the death of American citizen José Melesio Gutiérrez at the hands of drug dealers. He disappeared at Christmas while visiting his future wife’s family in Zacatecas. Viviana, Daniela, José and Paola suffered an attack on the highway that took their lives.
The result is based on a survey of 12,065 expatriates of 171 different nationalities living in 172 countries around the world. Most live in Germany, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. The most common nationalities of people leaving their country to seek new opportunities include American, British and Indian. Mexico is also characterized by employment opportunities, fair pay and respect for work-life balance. Something many locals wouldn’t agree with in a country that has just introduced 12 days of vacation a year.
Spain was in second place. The foreigners living there praise other things, such as the nightlife and the enormous opportunities for fun and leisure. 88% of expatriates there are satisfied with the nightlife and 91% with the opportunities to play sports. They also appreciate the climate, although not as much as in Mexico, which comes in second compared to the third place achieved by Spain. Foreigners there criticize the difficulties in finding work with growth opportunities and the lack of local employment opportunities.
Subscribe here Subscribe to the EL PAÍS México newsletter and receive all the important information about current events in this country
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits