Thailand’s liveability ranking sinks amidst Covid-19 restrictions and environmental concerns
Singapore – 1 March, 2022 – The Thai cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai have seen drops in their liveability scores, coming in at 115th and 118th position respectively in a global list of the most liveable locations for expatriates from East Asia in 2022.
This was one of the findings from the latest Location Ratings survey published by global mobility experts, ECA International.
- Thai cities have fallen out of the global top 100 most liveable locations for expatriate workers from East Asia, with Bangkok and Chiang Mai placed at 115th and 118th in the latest Location Ratings survey respectively.
- Singapore once again been named as the most liveable location for expatriates, despite the city state’s liveability score declining amidst ongoing Covid-19 lockdowns.
- Many major Asian locations, including Taipei, Macau, and Seoul, have also tumbled in the rankings as Covid-19 restrictions impacted living conditions.
Top 20 most liveable locations for East Asian overseas workers
| Location | 2021-2022 ranking | 2020-2021 ranking |
| Singapore | 1 | 1 |
| Wellington, New Zealand | 2 | 2 |
| Osaka, Japan | 3 | 3 |
| Tokyo, Japan | 3 | 3 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | 3 | 6 |
| Nagoya, Japan | 6 | 3 |
| Bern, Switzerland | 6 | 14 |
| Yokohama, Japan | 8 | 6 |
| Eindhoven, Netherlands | 8 | 17 |
| Stavanger, Norway | 10 | 10 |
| Brisbane, Australia | 10 | 12 |
| Gothenburg, Sweden | 10 | 12 |
| Adelaide, Australia | 10 | 14 |
| Utrecht, Netherlands | 10 | 14 |
| Sydney, Australia | 10 | 21 |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | 10 | 21 |
| The Hague, Netherlands | 10 | 21 |
| Geneva, Switzerland | 10 | 27 |
| Dublin, Irish Republic | 10 | 37 |
| Aarhus, Denmark | 20 | 10 |
“There have been ongoing concerns in Thailand around Covid-19, with growing restrictions imposed in late 2021 in an effort to curb the high number of cases across the country. This has impacted the Thai cities in in our rankings” said Lee Quane, Regional Director – Asia at ECA International.
“In the case of Bangkok, the score was worsened even further by the increasingly harmful level of pollution across areas of the city.”
Lee Quane, Regional Director – Asia at ECA International.
Updated annually in November, ECA’s Location Ratings system objectively evaluates a host of factors to form an assessment of the overall quality of living in over 490 locations worldwide. The system helps companies establish appropriate allowances to compensate their employees, taking into account the adjustment required when going on international assignment. Factors assessed include climate, availability of health services, housing and utilities, natural phenomena, isolation, access to a social network and leisure facilities, infrastructure, personal safety, political tensions, and air quality. The impact of some of these factors will vary according to the home location of the assignee.
In Southeast Asia, declines in rankings observed across cities in Myanmar as Singapore remains on top
- Singapore has been named again as the most liveable location for expatriate workers from East Asia, despite declines in the city state’s liveability score amid Covid-19 lockdowns
- Yangon also saw a considerable fall following the 2021 military coup and ongoing civil disobedience movement.
Singapore has remained the most liveable location in the world for expatriates from East Asia in 2022, despite seeing its overall liveability score decline.
Quane explained, “Singapore has remained the most liveable location in the world for overseas workers from other locations in East Asia, fighting off competition from Wellington, New Zealand, and various Japanese cities. This was in spite of its liveability score falling due to a combination of very strict lockdown measures. This means that the gaps between Singapore and the second- and third-placed cities have shrunk since last year. Factors that contributed to Singapore’s position at the top of the rankings include outstanding scores in other areas such as international schooling, infrastructure, and…
