Malta retained its spot with the worst 10 places for people living and working abroad, in a survey which up until six years ago hailed the island among the countries most preferred by foreign workers.

Expats in Malta are especially disappointed with the quality of life and the environment, including the transport infrastructure.

Every year, InterNations asks its global community of people who live and work abroad, for its opinions on everyday life abroad.

The survey of 12,000 people revealed that Mexico, Spain and Panama are the three best places to live.

People were asked about quality of life, leisure options, travel, healthcare, safety and security and the environment.

Overall, Malta placed 46th out of 53 countries. It is followed by Italy, South Africa, Germany, South Korea, Turkey, Norway and Kuwait.

Malta fared just slightly better than India and Kuwait when expats were specifically asked about quality of life, including the environment.

More than one in three said green goods and services were not readily available (35% in Malta as opposed to 16% globally), while 54% are dissatisfied with the urban environment (vs 16% globally).

Free transport good, infrastructure bad

The infrastructure for cars leaves a lot to be desired, with Malta placing last (53rd) for this factor.

And while public transportation is affordable (nearly 80% are happy), it is not always readily available. Nor is getting around on foot or by bicycle necessarily a safe and easy alternative.

In the Quality-of-Life index, apart from Malta (51st out of 53 countries), Ireland (46th) was the only other European destination in the bottom 10.

Malta fared better when expats were asked about ease of settling in, ranking 26th, but placed 40th (out of 53) when it comes to working abroad.

The InterNations’ expats insider survey is this year marking 10 years.

The good old times

Malta first made an appearance in the survey in 2015, immediately placing overall third following Ecuador and Mexico, and faring better than Singapore and Luxembourg.

Back then it scored the highest in the Working Abroad Index mostly due to the high job satisfaction among survey respondents despite admitting their income was lower than what they were used to back home.

In 2015 many were also generally happy with their work-life balance (67%) and working hours (69%).

The following year Malta went up a notch to second place, with Taiwan securing top spot. That year, Malta fell from first place to fifth in the Working Abroad Index.

Back then, Malta held sixth place in the Quality-of-Life Index, with exceptional ratings for the climate and weather.

In 2017, Malta slipped down the ranks but retained a spot in the top 10 at seventh best place. That year, the island experienced a decline in peacefulness and political stability: while Malta ranked fifth in 2016, it did not make it to the top 20 in the Safety and Security subcategory in 2017.

Malta continued slipping down the scale in the following years, placing 20th of 68 countries in 2018. By the following year, it had only secured 31st place out of 64 countries where expats said they were living and working.

In 2020, the InterNations’ survey focused on “sustainable expats”, with Malta first entering the ranking for the worst 10 countries. That year, it placed 52nd out of 60 countries.

In 2021, Malta placed 50 overall, out of 59 countries ranked from best to worst places for expats, and last year, the island remained with the bottom 10 at 43rd out of 52 countries.