A new study done by international banking group HSBC has found that foreigners who visit South Africa are likely to stay long-term.
The survey was conducted to see where expats would choose to live outside of their own country. More than 18 000 participated in the survey, and 62% of the those who lived in South Africa having moved to the country from somewhere else stated that they saw a positive change to their quality of life.
Of the expats surveyed, 33% said they planned to stay in South Africa for more than 20 years because of the high quality of life they experience here, 36 % said they chose to live here because of the climate, 30% because they had started a relationship, and the 27% of them were not willing to leave loved ones behind. Furthermore, more than a third of South Africa’s expats surveyed said they take part in voluntary work, higher than the global average of 23%.
“Those who moved to and intend to stay in South Africa have made informed choices as our research shows they are also well aware of the country’s issues and challenges. A further notable aspect of our research is that people relocating to South Africa are comparatively more socially aware and community-oriented than those relocating to other countries. We see this commitment to making deeper contributions as most encouraging for South Africa,” says John Goddard, head of HSBC Expat.
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