Spanish expats come up trumps in happiness survey

PUBLISHED: January 22, 2012 at 9:27 am  •  LAST EDITED: April 27, 2012 at 4:37 pm
Lead2, National News  •  1 Comments

• Are you a happy expat?

By Eloise Horsfield

SPAIN has the happiest British expats in the world, according to a new study.

A Lloyds TSB International survey quizzed a thousand British residents living abroad about their quality of life.

Over 75 per cent of those living in Spain said that they were happier now than when they resided in the UK, with 80 per cent saying their cost of living was very low – this despite the current economic crisis.

The cost of living as a single factor doesn’t seem to cut it though – with the UAE ranking fourth in happiness despite having the best-off expats.

Analysts pointed at outdoor lifestyle, traditional family values and a ‘living in the moment’ attitude in Spain as possible reasons for the results.

Other countries which fared well on the happiness index were Canada and Germany.

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