People immigrate for various reasons. For many South Africans it’s a combination of push factors and pull factors that influence our decision to emigrate and immigrate respectively. There are drivers that make us want to leave, as well as incentives that draw us to a particular destination.
We’ve included various indices comparing our 10 factors.
Variable indices: how to crunch the numbers
While we want to present an objective view of immigrant sentiments and world data, it’s important to remember that not all indices are designed the same. Some data is curated and parsed with a specific goal in mind, while others either conflate metrics, or disregard certain nuances altogether.
Certain metrics are bound to overlap. Overall security intertwines with political, economic and health data, while culture and language will overlap with political factors, education and recreation.
1. Safety and security
It’s no secret that millions of people immigrate in order to find a home that is safer and more secure than their current location. This can be due to high crime, natural disasters, warfare or other factors.
The Global Peace Index (GPI) for 2023 ranks South Africa 130rd in the world for peace. Ironically, while many people flock to U.S. shores, the United states is in 131rd place.
Safest countries in the world 3 major indices
| Global Peace Index (GPI) | U.S. News | Global Finance Magazine |
| Iceland | Switzerland | Iceland |
| Denmark | Norway | United Arab Emirates |
| Ireland | Sweden | Qatar |
| New Zealand | Austria | Singapore |
| Austria | Denmark | Finland |
| Singapore | Canada | Mongolia |
| Portugal | Finland | Norway |
| Slovenia | New Zealand | Denmark |
| Japan | Australia | Canada |
| Switzerland | Belgium | New Zealand |
| 2023 | 2024 | 2023 |
If the three different indices, only Denmark and New Zealand feature in the top 10 for all of them.
2. Economic opportunities
One of the second greatest drivers for immigration is economic wellbeing. Whether finding jobs, entrepreneurship, ease of doing business or other financial factors – it’s a key consideration for many would-be expats.
When moving abroad, individuals want to be sure that they will not only find work, but be allowed divergent and stable job opportunities as well as economic incentives.
Best countries for economic migration by 3 major indices
| Organisation for Co-Operation and Development (OECD) | KDM Engineering (as cited by the World Economic Forum) | U.S. News (“Open For Business” ranking) |
| New Zealand | Switzerland | Luxembourg |
| Sweden | Singapore | Switzerland |
| Switzerland | United Kingdom | Sweden |
| Austria | United States of America | Finland |
| Norway | Sweden | Norway |
| Luxembourg | Australia | Singapore |
| United Kingdom | Luxembourg | Denmark |
| United States of America | Denmark | Netherlands |
| Netherlands | Finland | Thailand |
| Canada | Norway | Panama |
| 2023 | 2019 | 2023 |
For economic opportunity, 4 countries rank in the top 10 for 3 major indices: Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and Luxembourg. It’s clear that the rankings differ quite vastly in how they vet the attractiveness of these nations.
Consider, for instance, that entrepreneurship contrasts greatly with business opportunities globally. South Africa is, for instance, ranked quite highly for entrepreneurship across all indices, but our overall economic stability counters such high scores.
3. Cost of Living
While cost-of-living may be linked to all other indices, it’s a consideration in and of its own. Many countries offer great economic and job prospects and yet the living costs are quite exorbitant.
We’ve considered the most relevant indices, and most accurate criteria across the board.
Best countries for cost-of-living by 3 major indices:
| University of Birmingham (REDI) | The Global Economy | World Population Review |
| Egypt | Pakistan | |
| Ukraine | Egypt | |
| Sudan | India | |
| Kyrgyzstan | Libya | |
| Burma | Bangladesh | |
| Sierra Leone | Syria | |
| Nepal | Nepal | |
| India | Tunisia | |
| Tajikistan | Algeria | |
| Tunisia | Somalia | |
| 2023 (updated for 2024) | 2024 |
It should be noted that while South Africa’s economy is hardly stable, and our GDP growth is tenuous, the World Bank estimates our GDP growth to be around 150% from 2023 to 2026, compared the the U.S. GDP growth of 20% for that same period.
It is, of course, rather futile to consider cost-of-living without looking at other socio-economic markers.
4. Healthcare
Healthcare is also a tricky subject given how individuals and families view quality healthcare. South Africa has universal healthcare, for instance, which isn’t offered hy numerous developed nations. And yet some might argue that the quality of healthcare is key.
The USA and Canada provide a good comparison. While Canada has something akin to universal healthcare, the waiting times to see any physicians is astounding – with some individuals waiting up to two years for a first consultation. In the USA, universal healthcare doesn’t exist, although Obamacare went some ways towards establishing this (with much controversy).
According to Statista, South Africa ranks 3rd in the world for affordable healthcare and this is based on the quality of healthcare as well. Bear in mind that South Africa’s medical expertise has long been sought out by the rest of the world and is highly valued among the world’s greatest economies.
The Global Health Survey Index notes the following stats for South Africa:
- Rapid response rate (emergencies, public health risk, communication & infrastructure):
- 62 vs global average of 37,6
- Prevention (antimicrobial resistance, biosecurity and biosafety):
- 32,1 vs global average of 28,4
- Detection & reporting (laboratory systems quality, surveillance, epidemiology workforce & lab supply chains):
- 50 vs global average of 32,3
Among these statistics, our Biosafety and Laboratory supply chains and and systems quality rank impecably high, while our Linking to public health and security authorities as well as travel restrictions score 100/100 worldwide. (compared to global averages of 22,1 and 39 comparatively).
The World Population Review indicates that the USA has the highest cost per capita for healthcare of all countries, and not by a small margin. Annual cost per capita for individual in the USA was around $12 555 per year – 40% higher than any other nation in the world.
South Africa’s risk communication is ranked at 83,3 compared to the global average of 57,9, while our biosafety is more than double that of the global average at 50 v 20,9 respectively.
The world’s best nations for healthcare by 3 major indices
| Statista | US News | Nasdaq |
| Brazil | Japan | Portugal |
| Hungary | Netherlands | France |
| South Africa | United Kingdom | Mexico |
| Peru | Canada | Colombia |
| Argentina | Norway | Costa Rica |
| Chile | Switzerland | Panama |
| Colombia | Finland | Spain |
| Thailand | Germany | Denmark |
| Poland | Denmark | Brazil |
| India | Sweden | Italy |
| 2023 | 2024 | 2022 |
It’s important to note that some indices disregard the cost against value. The U.S. News index, for instance, doesn’t consider the scarcity of public service provision and waiting times, nor the inaccessibility of these services by foreigners.
Canada, the U.K. and Germany have proven that they provide well for expats who relocate to their nations – but this doesn’t negate the fact that accessibility isn’t always swift. In other cases the medical care is scaffolded – which means some services aren’t considered essential and carry hefty co-payments or several loops to jump through.
5. Political climate
It’s difficult to draw a comparison around politics given divergent ideologies. People are certainly drawn to nations that best represent their world views – whether liberal, conservative, capitalist, socialist, democratic, nationalist or other.
Nevertheless, prospective immigrants are most definitely all interested in relocating to a place which offers political stability. Given South Africa’s political history, many people have sought out foreign shores for this reason alone.
Most politically stable countries by 3 major indices
| World Population Review | The Global Economy | Trading Economics |
| Liechtenstein | Cayman Islands | Aruba |
| Andorra | Liechtenstein | American Samoa |
| Aruba | Andorra | Brunei |
| Singapore | Greenland | Cayman Islands |
| New Zealand | Aruba | Liechtenstein |
| Dominica | Singapore | New Zealand |
| Brunei | New Zealand | Monaco |
| Micronesia | Dominica | Greenland |
| Monaco | Iceland | Dominica |
| San Marino | Brunei | Andorra |
| 2024 | 2024 | 2024 |
6. Climate and environment
Environment may not be the first thing we talk about when discussing immigration, but it’s an inferred driver.
When we think of environment, we mostly consider natural resources, but environment also affects climate. Elevation, proximity to fresh or salt water sources, terrain, etc. – these are all interlinked. Environment and climate also changes according to one’s proximity to the equator or poles. Another consideration is how resilient nations are when it comes to climate change and environmental degradation.
With that in mind, let’s look at the most favourable countries for climate and environment.
Top countries for pleasant climate and environment by 3 major indices
| US News | Climate Change Performance Index | Sustainability Magazine |
| Greece | Denmark | Sweden |
| Portugal | Estonia | Switzerland |
| Italy | Phillipines | Norway |
| Spain | India | Japan |
| New Zealand | Netherlands | Finland |
| Brazil | Morocco | Denmark |
| Costa Rica | Sweden | New Zealand |
| Mexico | Chile | Germany |
| Argentina | Norway | Canada |
| Turkey | Portugal | Netherlands |
| 2024 | 2024 | 2021 |
The interesting thing about the indices above is how divergent they are. While a country like Japan is environmentally friendly, it is also highly susceptible to climate change. The same is true for a country like the Netherlands – yet the nation has proper sustainability plans in place to counter this. A country like India is also not necessarily considered the best place for climate and environment, but their sustainability policies have taken massive leaps in recent years.
7. Service delivery
Given South Africa’s track record with service delivery, many prospective expats are keen to relocate to a place that offers better service.
So which nations can you look to for stellar service deliver?
Countries with best service delivery by 3 major indices
| Prosperity Data | The Global Economy | Oxford Insights |
| United Arab Emirates | Iceland | United Arab Emirates |
| Singapore | Finland | Singapore |
| Finland | Norway | Finland |
| Kazakhstan | Singapore | Canada |
| Saudi Arabia | Netherlands | United Kingdom |
| Denmark | Sweden | Uruguay |
| Austria | New Zealand | New Zealand |
| United Kingdom | France | Germany |
| India | Germany | Spain |
| Slovenia | Switzerland | Saudi Arabia |
| 2022 | 2024 | 2024 |
8. Education
Whether you have children or are considering studying yourself, education is often a big driver for emigration.
South Africa is a mixed bag when it comes to education. While some schools and varsities measure up there with the best, our overall rankings aren’t that great. So let’s take a look at the best countries for education.
Top countries for education by 3 major indices
| OECD | World Educators Association | World Population Review |
| Finland | United Kingdom | United States of America |
| Australia | United States of America | United Kingdom |
| Sweden | Germany | Germany |
| Estonia | Canada | Canada |
| Slovenia | France | France |
| Poland | Finland | Switzerland |
| Denmark | Japan | Japan |
| Belgium | South Korea | Australia |
| Czechia | Switzerland | Sweden |
| Canada | Netherlands | Netherlands |
| 2019 | date unknown | 2024 |
9. Goods and retail (shopping)
Why would goods and retail make it onto this list. Well, it may not be top-of-mind, but it is actually a subconscious driver.
People want to move to countries which offer them a variety of goods, affordable products, quality products, and easy accesibility to shopping and retail.
So which nations offer you the best of all four?
Top nations for goods and retail by 3 major indices
| En-Vols | Safeguard Global | Franchise Association of South Africa |
| United States of America | China | United States of America |
| Japan | United States of America | Canada |
| United Kingdom | Japan | Australia |
| France | Germany | Norway |
| United Arab Emirates | India | Luxembourg/Estonia |
| China | South Korea | Ireland |
| Italy | Russia | Sweden/New Zealand |
| Turkey | Italy | Austria/Finland |
| South Korea | Mexico | South Africa/Japan/Lithuania |
| Singapore | France | Slovenia |
| 2023 | 2024 | 2018 |
A study by MSCI for the South African Council of Shopping Centres shows that South Africa ranks 6th in the world for the number of shopping centres, tied with Japan and Lithuania.
10. Technology and innovation
Technology and innovation have various interpretations, and while they aren’t the primary drivers for immigration, they certainly play a part.
People want to know that they’ll have access to technological innovations, high-speed connectivity, and whatever gadgets they need for their home and office life.
Top nations for technology and innovation by 3 major indices
| Global Finance | World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) | ResearchGate (Edmund CHIEMEZIEM Enyinnia)* |
| South Korea | Switzerland | Norway |
| United States of America | Sweden | Sweden |
| Taiwan | United States of America | Netherlands |
| Denmark | United Kingdom | Denmark |
| Switzerland | Singapore | United States of America |
| Israel | Finland | Singapore |
| Finland | Netherlands | Finland |
| Netherlands | Germany | United Arab Emirates |
| Sweden | Denmark | South Korea |
| Norway | South Korea | Hong Kong |
| 2023 | 2023 |
Planning to take the leap?
If you’re considering moving abroad, let Fin Select assist with your financial emigration. We can assist with tax emigration and compliance, forex, imports/exports transactions, inheritance transfers, policy encashment and more.
Simply leave your details below and we’ll get in touch for a free consultation.
Sources:
- ResearchGate
- U.S. News
- World Economic Forum
- OECD
- Cyracom
- GermanWatch
- New Climate Institute
- Climate Action Network
- World Bank
- United Nations
- Safeguard Global
- Yahoo! Finance
- Global Finance Magazine
- Franchise Association of South Africa
- En-Vols
- World Educators Association
- Oxford Insights
- Civil Service World
- Cyra
- Prosperity Data 360
- Sustainability Magazine
- Earth.org
- Trading Economics
- World Population Review
- Passport Legacy
