Surveys find france is favourite for expats

France has again beaten Spain to be named the top European destination of choice for Britons leaving the UK to live permanently abroad and it is also liked for its food and shopping, surveys reveal.

Some 18,000 Britons are estimated to have moved to France during 2010, nearly a third more than moved to Spain, according to data from the UK National Statistics office.

In the HSBC Expat Explorer 2011 France tops the Raising Children Abroad league table, making it a great place to bring up children, ranking first for childcare and integration and second for health and wellbeing.

Expats in France are the most likely to say the cost of raising children has decreased, 44% against the global average of 21%, since relocating. But they are no more likely to see an improvement in quality of education or childcare than average.

Source: ExpatForum.com