Best and worst expat countries for high pay

By Kirsten Hastings, 13 Apr 17

The best places to earn a decent annual wage without having to work around the clock are in western Europe. Eastern Europe fared badly but Mexico ranked bottom, a recent report by ExpatFinder found.

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The United States ranked sixth in the list, despite offering among the biggest average annual salaries. The wage benefit was offset by the average number of hours employees would have to work to earn it. Additionally, the “notoriously non-existent paid holiday laws let them down massively”, ExpatFinder said.

With Norway ranked third and Denmark sitting fifth, Sweden’s position at 13 could be something of a surprise. However, compared with its Scandinavian neighbours, employees in Sweden have to work, on average, longer hours for nearly $10,000 less per year.

The United Kingdom sits just above the OECD average.