You may have decided to emigrate from South Africa, but not quite made up your mind where you want to go to.

Hopefully you have the type of skillset which will allow you to find work easily across the globe. But now you have to sit down and make lists – add up the pros and cons, talk to friends, read blogs, watch crime rates, economic trends and try to follow political news. It’s a frustrating thing – seeing as, in hindsight, most people advise that you simply ‘trust your gut’. But how do you make a decision when there’s so much conflicting information out there? Especially for something as final and significant as immigration.

Well, finglobal.com has tried to make your life easier by listing the global rankings for best places to live. Hopefully this list will make your decision just a little bit easier so that you can focus on financial emigration.

Best countries to live in

According to the UN Human Development Index:

1. Norway
2. Australia
3. Switzerland
4. Netherlands
5. USA

By life expectancy:

1. Andorra
2. Macau
3. San Marino
4. Singapore
5. Hong Kong

By overall life satisfaction:

1. Denmark
2. Iceland
3. Switzerland
4. Norway
5. Israel

By economic freedom:

1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. New Zealand
4. Australia
5. Switzerland

By gender equality:

1. Iceland
2. Finland
3. Norway
4. Sweden
5. Denmark

By climate:

1. New Zealand
2. USA
3. Spain
4. Italy
5. France

By gay rights and equality:

1. Netherlands
2. Belgium
3. Canada
4. Sweden
5. South Africa

By environmental performance:

1. Switzerland
2. Luxembourg
3. Australia
4. Singapore
5. Czech Republic

By freedom on the internet:

1. Iceland
2. Estonia
3. Canada
4. Australia
5. Germany

By press freedom:

1. Finland
2. Netherlands
3. Norway
4. Luxembourg
5. Andorra

By commitment to human rights:

1. Norway
2. San Marino
3. Canada
4. Belgium
5. Luxembourg

By global peace index (safety, security and conflict):

1. Iceland
2. Denmark
3. Austria
4. New Zealand
5. Switzerland

For expats with children:

1. New Zealand
2. Austria
3. Switzerland
4. Japan

According to the Expat Explorer Survey 2014:

1. Switzerland
2. Singapore
3. China
4. Germany
5. Bahrain

By tourism ranking:

1. Spain
2. France
3. Germany
4. USA
5. UK

By educational system:

1. South Korea
2. Japan
3. Singapore
4. Hong Kong
5. Finland

By technology:

1. Japan
2. USA
3. South Korea
4. Israel
5. Germany

Best cities to live in

By the 2015 Global Liveability Ranking:

1. Melbourne -Australia
2. Vienna – Austria
3. Vancouver – Canada
4. Toronto – Canada
5. Calgary – Canada
6. Adelaide – Australia
7. Sydney – Australia
8. Perth – Australia
9. Auckland – New Zealand
10. Helsinki – Finland
11. Zurich – Switzerland

Cities with the best job opportunities:

1. London – England
2. New York – USA
3. Singapore
4. Toronto – Canada
5. San Francisco – USA
6. Paris – France
7. Stokholm – Sweden
8. Hong Kong
9. Sydney – Australia
10. Chicago – USA

We hope the ratings above will help you make your decision – but, of course, the decision will be a deeply personal one.

Although we can’t help you with this decision, we can at least support your financial migration. So talk to one of our financial advisers to learn how we can make your emigration from South Africa just a little bit easier.

let us call you