These are the 20 countries with the best quality of life (and what's so good about them)

Which countries are the best to live in? A good way to find out is to ask expats – who can form opinions a bit more rationally than patriotic locals.

Internations, a network for people who live and work abroad, polled 14,300 expats on what they thought of the 191 different countries they lived in.

The expats were asked to rate 43 different aspects of life in their adopted countries on a scale of 1-7.

The ‘winning’ countries are the ones with the highest overall average scores – creating what Internations describes as a ‘Quality of Life Index’.

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The United Kingdom ranked 34th out of the list of 191 countries.

Taiwan came out a clear winner, Internations says, ‘The newcomer Taiwan rose right to the top of the 67 countries.

‘A staggering 99% rate their personal safety favorably, and 78% even say it is very good. Around nine out of ten expats (89%) are also happy with the peacefulness in Taiwan.’

‘It performs strongest in the Health & Well-Being subcategory, where it comes in second. Taiwan comes in first place in terms of the quality of medical care and its affordability.

‘Not one person considers the climate and weather to be very bad, with three-quarters giving this a positive rating (global: 61%).

‘Finally, about nine out of ten expats in Taiwan (91%) are overall satisfied with the local transport infrastructure, compared to 63% globally.

1. Taiwan

2. Austria

It was highly rated for clean water and transport.

3. Japan

Peaceful, with good medical care.

4. Spain

Friendly, and with good weather.

5. Costa Rica

Good weather, and locals make expats feel ‘at home’.

6. Malta

Good weather and local culture.

7. Czech Republic

Good education and childcare.

8. Singapore

Previously ranked first, but cost of living is rising.

9. Germany

Easy to find a job, high living standards.

10. Switzerland

Good healthcare, education and it’s easy to find a job.

11. South Korea

Lots of career opportunities, good for families.

12. Canada

Short working weeks, friendly.

13. New Zealand

Good healthcare.

14. Portugal

Good weather, and 91% of expats say they are satisfied.

15. France

Short working weeks, good education.

16. Australia

Good for education and families.

17. Luxembourg

Good healthcare and education..

18 Ecuador

Great location – and interesting for travellers.

19. Finland

Good for health and education.

20. Hungary

Low cost of living, lots of jobs.