The Expat Insider 2021 survey ranked Panama as the 19th country out of 59 nations in the world. The survey measures the opinions of expatriates, foreigners residing in the country for work or investment reasons.

Regarding their assessment of Panama, the facilities offered by the country to settle, as well as the environment in which they can develop their lives, were appreciated.

In the survey, applied to more than 12,000 expatriates in 174 countries, only 59 nations obtained enough responses for a statistically significant weight.

The countries in the top 10 positions, according to this study, were: Taiwan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Ecuador, Canada, and Vietnam, in that order.

As additional issues of concern in Panama, 27% of expatriates were dissatisfied with the transportation infrastructure in the country, compared to 15% globally.

But, 60% were satisfied with the quality of public transport in the main cities of the country, compared to 69% of the world average.

The Expat Insider survey measures 37 aspects that foreigners residing in each country must answer using an index from 1 to 7. In the technical sheet for Panama, to which La Prensa obtained access , this year a survey is included that asked about the effect of Covid-19. The results reveal interesting trends, highlighting that ”Covid-19 has affected the relocation plans of foreigners in Panama: 17% have decided not to return to their countries of origin [in the short term] (vs. 18% globally); while 14% wanted to move to another country, but had to abandon their plans (vs. 8% globally) ”. The responses to the survey indicate that the greatest impact of Covid-19 in Panama was on travel plans (28%) and on social life (25%).

Financial outlook

Additionally, 23% of those surveyed are concerned about their long-term financial prospects in Panama, compared to 11% globally of expatriates. The study revealed that 52% of expatriates in Panama are satisfied with the official communication about the pandemic and the rules applied to face it, while the world average for this same topic is 66%. Almost half of those surveyed, 49%, say they get their information about the pandemic from traditional media, and 46% do so primarily from digital media and social media. In a very prominent figure for Panama, 31% indicated that they obtain information about the pandemic from friends and neighbors, when the world average, is 19%.

For 2021, the survey evaluated the quality of life index, in which Panama ranked 26; Regarding the ease of settling in the country, Panama obtained the 14th position; while in the measurement of work abroad, the country obtained its lowest rating, occupying position 44 on the list. In terms of personal finances, expatriates ranked Panama in 15th place out of 59 countries in the world, and in terms of cost of living, the valuation placed the country in 34th position.

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