Singapore is still the most liveable place in Asia for expatriates and also the most favoured city in the world for Asian expats, according to a new survey.
Long-time rival Hong Kong has slipped down the rankings by human resources firm ECA International.
Singapore is followed by Adelaide and Sydney in the ranking for Asian expats.
But while Hong Kong holds the No. 6 spot among Asian cities, it fell to 33rd place from 17th globally.
ECA gathers the latest location ratings for expat living conditions annually, and assesses the overall quality of living in more than 450 places worldwide.
In India, the agency has certified Bengaluru as the most liveable location in India, followed by Mumbai and Chennai.
Though Bengaluru is ranked 171 in the global liveability index, the tech hub has scored favourably over metros and other cities across the country in terms of overall quality of living, while New Delhi has been rated as the least liveable, with worst air quality.
“In India, Bangalore (Bengaluru), which is ranked 171 globally, scores most favourably followed by Mumbai and Chennai both ranked 182. New Delhi, ranked 204, is the least liveable, with worst score for air quality like Beijing is in the world,” ECA International said in a statement from London.
In the Indian sub-continent, Pakistani cities like Islamabad and Karachi, ranked at 261 and 269 in the survey, have the region’s worst scores for personal security and social-political tensions.
“They are the hardest locations surveyed in Asia for expatriates to adapt to living and working in,” ECA said.
While Hong Kong is ranked high as a place for Asian expats to live, the ECA survey revealed that its attractiveness has dropped.
“The unrest in recent months and restrictions on movement of people due to socio-political factors worsened living conditions in Hong Kong.”.
Martial law declaration led to a worsening in socio-political scores for ranking locations in Thailand.
While Malaysian locations fell in the global ranking, its capital Kuala Lumpur slipped to 118 from the previous rank of 115.
Shanghai, ranked 110 globally, is rated as China’s most liveable city followed by Beijing at 122.
Denmark capital Copenhagen, ranked seventh globally, is the European city that offers the best quality of living for Asian assignees followed by Swiss city of Bern.
In North America, Vancouver at 24 is the most liveable location followed by San Francisco at 40.
Dubai, ranked at 109, is the location in the Gulf region which requires the least adjustment for Asian assignees overall.
For Asian assignees going to Africa, Port Louis, Mauritius, (118) affords the best quality of living followed by Cape Town (133).