What expats really think about life in South Africa

The 11th edition of the Expat Insider survey by InterNations reveals that expats’ satisfaction with life in South Africa has risen by 15 ranks in 2024. Despite this improvement, they continue to encounter several challenges.

South Africa no longer in the bottom 10

South Africa ranked 29th out of 53 countries in the Expat Insider 2024 survey.

Compared to last year, South Africa’s ranking has improved significantly, after being in the bottom 10 spots for four consecutive years.

The subcategories in which expats ranked the country the highest are the Personal Finances Index, Housing, and Leisure categories.

Major challenges remain in terms of the Safety and Security, and Travel and Transit categories.

Safety is a major concern

Expats’ biggest concern is safety and security. South Africa ranked right at the bottom in this category. Survey participants highlighted personal safety and political stability as the main areas of safety concerns. More than half of expats that participated in the survey rated personal safety as poor. The global average in this category is 8%.

Transport issues

In addition to safety, survey participants noted poor affordability and availability of public transportation as areas of concern. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of respondents indicated that they feel that it is neither easy nor safe to get around on foot or by bicycle.

Expats are enjoying South Africa’s food

South Africa was ranked very favourably in the categories for leisure activities and culinary landscape.

Other categories that fared well are Environment and Climate, and Healthcare. The availability and quality of healthcare are the reasons for the good rating, while affordability and accessibility were not rated as favourably.

“I like the economic opportunities, the multicultural population, and the availability of quality healthcare, education, and consumer services in the metropolitan areas.”
US expat