Infograph: Expat Population of the World
Erin
17 May, 2013 09:00
The word "expat" has been discussed at length, by us on ExpatsRadio, by expats, and by the world at large. What does the word mean? From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
Expat: an expatriate person
transitive verb
1. to withdraw (oneself) from residence in or allegiance to one's native country
intransitive verb
2. to leave one's native country to live elsewhere; also : to renounce allegiance to one's native country
While interesting, this doesn't really help illustrate what an expatriate looks like. Where do we live? How many of us are there? What makes us a group?
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European Property Index: the winner is...
Erin
12 March, 2013 14:20
Deloitte published last year the first edition of the Property Index
- a directory of prices and housing factors across the continent. It
analyses factors influencing the development of residential markets and
compares residential property prices in selected European countries and
cities. (More)
2013 Expat Cost of Living Ranking
Erin
12 February, 2013 15:04
A high cost of living is something expats around the world struggle
with. It can even send some expats home, as seen in our latest Expat Twitter round-up in which popular Japan expat blog "Surviving Japan"
admitted defeat and returned to the USA. Even if the cost of living
doesn't send you home, understanding what makes a city expensive can
help you find your place and thrive.
The Economist Intelligence Unit recently released it's "Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2013".
The index is a weighted average of the prices of 160 products and
services, with New York's figure set at 100 to provide a base for
comparisons. (More)
2012 Expat Cost of Living Ranking
Erin
15 January, 2013 10:36
As we enter 2013, EuroCost International has released the 2012 cost of living ranking.
Based on prices collected in June 2012 and updated with August exchange
rates, it compares expat living costs in major locations worldwide.
Life abroad can be quite pricey... (More)
Where to be Born & the Luckiest Baby of 2013
Erin
05 December, 2012 17:21
No one gets to choose where they are born, but this unchangeable
detail can have life-long consequences. The Economist Intelligence Unit
(EIU), a sister company of The Economist, recently put out "Lottery of Life: Where to be born in 2013".
"Warren Buffett, probably the world's most successful
investor, has said that anything good that happened to him could be
traced back to the fact that he was born in the right country, the
United States, at the right time (1930)."
While this may be true for Buffet, and America may have been one of
the best places to be born at that time, which country will be the best
for a baby born in 2013?
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Top 9 Countries to Raise Your Child
Erin
17 October, 2012 09:51
HSBC International specializes in collecting data from around the globe and finding the best places to live, make money, and have a happy life. Their fifth annual Expat Survey use a unique combination of factors (cost of living, education, safety) to find the best countries to raise your expat kid. (More)
Which Countries Have the Most (& Least) Vacation Days?
Erin
31 August, 2012 16:18
As summer draws to a close for the Northern hemisphere, and the Southern hemisphere gears up for the warmer months, you may be longing for more vacation days. Some of us are luckier than others. Countries like the Untied States are notorious for it's lack of vacation time, but some surprising places aren't much better. And what are the best countries for vacation time?
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Most Expensive Cities For a Night Out
Erin
20 June, 2012 13:41
Cities around the world can offer different attractions, cuisine, culture, and vastly disparate cost of living. The Independent evaluated what an evening out for two costs in several tourist cities. Whether you are an expat trying to cope with high cost of living, or wanting to visit one of these top spots, check out the list and learn how to cope with the high cost of going out on the town. (More)
What do Expats Say?
Erin
16 March, 2012 10:26
It may seem like the "Sh*t Girls Say" videos have run their course. They probably have. But a new crop of "Sh*t Expats Say" have proved entertaining and surprisingly accurate. From expat Berliners to women to things an expat would never say, take a look at what expats are saying. (More)
While English is becoming the norm, the number of new (artificial) languages is expanding
EasyExpat
14 March, 2012 17:20
In a previous article, we have seen that the UK’s lack of language skills could cost the country £17 billion of loss in GDP (and although beginning in the 1990s, decline became more rapid after 2004, thanks to Tony Blair who had the brilliant (!) idea to make
languages optional for GCSE, in order to show a better success rate).
All expatriates understand the benefits of languages. How frustrating it can be to be abroad and not be able to deal with simple things such as shopping or transport, without even talking about utility companies, properties or tax. Today we count about 7,000 different natural languages (as of 2009, SIL Ethnologue catalogued 7,358 languages grouped into 121 families, but the number may vary between 5000 and 10,000 depending on the definition of "different" languages or dialect), often spoken by only a few (96% of those languages are only spoken by 4% of the population). How many will still be there in 2100? Maybe only half of them as they often die out with the people that spoke them.
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