Year after nomad scheme launch, Malta remains among least favourable countries for expats – survey

Malta has once again ranked at the bottom end of an annual survey by Expat Insider that lists the best countries for Expats – this time placing 43rd out of 52 countries.

This, despite Malta’s effort by the government last June to boost Malta’s appeal by launching a ‘Nomad Residence Permit’ to attract digital nomads. The residence scheme offers non-EU applicants a one-year visa allowing them to live and work from the island.

The report, conducted in February, registers a continuous steady decline for Malta, which has slipped consistently since it was ranked 4^th in 2015 and 2016. Between 2018 and 2019, it had dropped a further 11 places from 25^thto 36^th place. In 2021, it placed 50th out of 59 countries.

Overall, Malta has plummeted from the top five to the bottom 10 in just five years.

The survey was carried out by InterNations, one of the largest global expat networks with over 4.2 million members worldwide. In 2022, a total of 11,970 expats participated in the survey, representing 177 nationalities and living in 181 countries or territories.

The five major categories that contribute to the overall country ranking are ‘Quality of Life’, ‘Ease of Settling in’, ‘Personal Finance’, ‘Working Abroad’ and ‘Expat Essentials’. Each of these categories is then sub-divided.

When it comes to Quality of Life, Malta ranks a poor 49 out of 52 countries. This category looks at factors such as travel options, the environment, leisure and health options, and safety and security. Malta ranked exceptionally low when it comes to the environment (5oth) and higher when it comes to health and wellbeing (32nd).

The country’s strongest category is the ‘Ease of Settling in’ category, where it ranked 21st. This was followed by a ranking at 26th for the ‘Personal Finance’ category. Malta then ranked 31st place in the ‘Working Abroad’ category – which assesses the job market and work-life balance within the country.

Lastly, Malta ranked 43rd for the ‘Expat Essentials’ category – which measures the difficulty expats face in their day-to-day life in things like administration, language, and housing. Malta ranked last within the ‘Administration’ sub-category.

Mexico, Indonesia, Taiwan, Portugal and Spain were listed as the top five best places for expats in 2022, while Luxembourg, Cyprus, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Kuwait were listed as the five worst.