10 Most Popular Sunny Destinations for Expats

August 28, 2017

The sun is one of the few things Brits can't import, no matter how much you are prepared to pay.

For that reason, more than 60% of British expats consider the weather at their target destination before moving abroad – 17 percentage points more than the global average of expats worldwide – according to a study by Internations.

The expat consultancy surveyed more than 14,000 expats from over 191 countries to find the homes away from home with the best climate.

The UK comes bottom of the list, followed by Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway, the Business Insider UK reports.

Here are the countries at the top:

9: Ecuador – Around eight out of 10 expats rank Ecuador's climate as a benefit, but the country lost out on a high ranking because only half of expats in Ecuador are satisfied with their level of job security.

8: Uganda – The African nation ranked among the world's friendliest according to Internations, and 77% of expats considered the climate a potential benefit before moving.

7: Greece – Although 81% of expats considered Greece's warm climate to be attractive only a quarter of respondents are generally satisfied with their financial situation, compared with 64% globally.

6: Portugal – More than 80% of expats in Portugal said the sun was a potential benefit, but 26% expected the weak labour market to be a disadvantage, compared with 11% globally.

5: Spain – Almost 85% of expats were attracted by Spain's sun and a huge 88% rate the available leisure activities positively, compared to 72% globally.

4: Morocco – Eighty four percent of expats considered the North African country's climate a benefit before moving, and the same ratio say that their disposable household income is enough or more than enough for daily life.

3: Cyprus – The climate in Cyprus attracted 86% of expats before moving. Cyprus also offers one of the shortest full-time workweeks in the world at only 41.5 hours per week.

2: Costa Rica – A whopping 89% of expats said they considered the climate in Costa Rica as a potential benefit, which might have something to do with the 92% of expats reporting that happy with their life in general.

1: Malta – As much as 92% of expats were attracted to Malta for better weather. Life is good on the Mediterranean island, with nine out of 10 expats in Malta stating that it is easy to settle down there.