India, among cheapest, for expats' kids

London, Oct 8 (UNI) India, Spain and China are the cheapest countries for expats to raise their children but the UK is the worst place to bring up your tiny tots.

A global study has revealed Spain, France and Germany are among the best locations to raise the children. The HSBC Bank International Expat Explorer survey spoke to 2,155 expats across four continents, making it the largest ever survey of its kind.

Expat parents were asked to rate the countries they lived in according to the time their children spent outdoors, how long they spent studying and the cost of raising children.

They were also asked about the number of languages spoken by their children and whether they thought they would return once they had grown up.

Named 'Offshore Offspring,' the report saw scores for living in the UK among the lowest.

The UK flopped in categories including playing sports, eating junk food, playing computer games and watching TV. As well as being seen as an unhealthy place to raise kids, the UK is also deemed to be one of the most expensive.

A third of parents surveyed reported their children spent more time on their schoolwork since they moved abroad, with India being the top place for kids to get their heads down.

It was seen that children living in Europe pick up second languages the easiest with Spain, Germany and France topping the list.

Aaron le Cornu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for HSBC Bank International said, ''The expat community is so diverse and there are many factors that come into play when deciding to relocate to another country.'' ''We have seen through this report that there are very different reasons behind a single expat's choice to move when compared to those who have families to think about,'' he added.

The report is the second of three in an Expat Explorer series, which looks at the opportunities, challenges and difficulties that come with a life away from home.

UNI XC PD PM1720