Expat Children Living Overseas Enjoy a Better Life

LONDON, December 16, 2010 - Key findings

    - UK Fares Poorly Against 13 Other Locations for Bringing up
      Expat Children
    - Expat Children Adapt to Their new Life Abroad Better Than Their
      Parents
    - Expat Parents Feel Their Children are Safer Abroad

HSBC Bank International today reveals that expat children enjoy the good
life and are likely to be benefiting from better education, higher safety
levels and improved health and well-being as a result of their parents
decision to live overseas. Expat parents report their children are more
likely to be learning new languages (84%), playing more sports (47%) and
spending more time with their family (53%) while on the whole, enjoying their
new life abroad (85%). Living overseas appears to have a positive impact on
the lifestyles of expat families; however, the UK fared less well among
parents who had relocated here.

Overall the UK found itself bottom of the league table of the 14
countries that formed the survey sample of 30+ respondents at country-level.
The UK is the worst performing country for both the childcare and the health
and well-being categories when expat parents were asked to compare it to
their home countries. In addition, it appears that the UK is also among the
most expensive places to raise a child, ranking bottom (14th) for both the
general costs of raising children and more specifically for the costs of
childcare.

Expat children in the UK also appear to have the least active lifestyle
since relocating. Only 24% of parents say their children spend more time
outdoors since their move and expat parents in the UK are also least likely
to say their children play more sport or spend less time watching TV, ranking
last (14th) on each of these measures.

However, despite these relatively poor scores, 84% of parents reported
that their children are enjoying their life in the UK, scoring the country
8th out of 14 in terms of how much children enjoy their life in their new
country. This may relate to the fact that the UK scores top for expat
entertainment in Expat Explorer's Expat Experience 2010 report, which
suggested that children can take advantage of many attractions and excursions
which will help them settle in and enjoy life in their new country.

Offshore Offspring is the third report from the 2010 Expat Explorer
Survey and looks at expats' perceptions of various aspects of raising
children abroad, including:

    - Childcare
    - Health and Well-being
    - Integration

Nick Winsor, CEO at HSBC Bank International, comments: "With the growth
of emerging markets we are seeing more and more people beginning a new life
overseas. These results show that parents considering such a move appear to
have a lot to gain for themselves and for their children by becoming expats.
Indeed the low rank of the UK relative to other expat destinations to some
extent undermines traditional perceptions that more developed markets provide
a better setting for bringing up children. Of course making the decision to
become an expat is a complex one, but hopefully these results will help to
set expat expectations based upon those who have already relocated."

Belgium reported as the best location to raise expat children

Belgium tops this year's charts as the best location to raise children,
thanks to the highly regarded childcare system and standard of education. 81%
of expats based here agreed they had seen an improved standard of education
in comparison to their home country while 68% thought the quality of
childcare had improved. However, Belgium-based expat parents also benefit
from some of the cheapest childcare, with (65%) now paying less for childcare
than in their home country.

The rest of mainland Europe was not far behind Belgium's lead, with Spain
(2nd) France (3rd) and Germany (5th) all featuring within the top five of the
Offshore Offspring league table. In contrast, the USA and UK hold the bottom
spaces in the league table, ranking 13th and 14th respectively.

Safety of children improves with relocation

Concerns regarding children's safety will undoubtedly be at the forefront
of parents' mind when considering a move abroad with children. However,
two-thirds (66%) of expat parents felt that their child's safety had improved
upon relocation. Those in Asia and the Middle East saw the biggest
improvement in child safety levels upon relocation, with expats in Hong Kong
(94%), Singapore (90%) and Qatar (89%) most likely to be reporting a marked
improvement in their perceptions of their child's safety.

Lisa Wood, Head of Customer Propositions at HSBC Bank International
comments: "For any parent moving abroad their child's safety will be one of
the most important factors influencing their choice of location, so this will
be welcome news to any would-be expat parents.

"We aren't surprised to see such findings. Through our Expat Experience
Report released earlier this year, we know that expats are highly likely to
mix with and make friends with fellow expats following relocation - a trend
that was even more pronounced in Asia and the Middle East where expats are
highly likely to live in secure expat communities. This increased perception
of safety could be attributed to the fact they have built strong links with
their fellow expats and have a greater sense of community than in their home
country."

Get involved

Are you an expat? Follow the updates and join the debate online:

Tweet at: twitter.com/expatexplorer

Share your experiences: expatexplorer.blogspot.com/

Read the report in full: www.offshore.hsbc.com/expatexplorer

Notes to editors:

About the Expat Explorer survey

The Expat Explorer was commissioned by HSBC Bank International Ltd and
conducted by third party research company GfK. 4,127 expats were questioned
through an online survey from 26th April 2010 to the 7th June 2010, with
expats from over 100 countries worldwide taking part - making it unique and
the largest survey of its kind. Please note that the sampling technique used
for the 2010 survey does not claim to give a fully representative sample of
all expatriates. In addition, it differs substantially from the sampling
technique used in 2009. Therefore, comparisons of results year on year are
not statistically valid and have been made for illustrative purposes only.

A sample size of 30 or more respondents from each country was required
for inclusion in the league tables, in order to be considered robust and
indicative of the views and trends of the specific population it relates to.
The league tables are based on a series of interrelated factors (rather than
a single factor or question) to ensure a fair assessment of how individual
countries rate across the full criteria. The responses of those who responded
"not applicable" or "refuse to say" have been excluded.

About Offshore Offspring

Offshore Offspring is the final report of the three-report series to be
produced from the Expat Explorer 2010 research. The report focuses on expats'
experiences of raising children abroad. A league table has been compiled
using a substantial set of criteria to reveal which locations expats voted as
having the best opportunities and experiences for their children.

This report looks at expats' perceptions of various aspects of raising
children abroad including; the cost of raising children, the quality of the
education and childcare services, changes in their children's diet,
activities after relocating and the ease with which children are able to
integrate into new cultures.

A league table has been produced, which ranks the countries in terms of
key elements:

    - Childcare
    - Health and Well-being
    - Integration

This year there were 1,381 expats with children who responded to the
Expat Explorer survey. The report therefore includes detailed findings for 14
countries where 30 or more expats with children in the host country completed
the survey. The countries are Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France,
Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, United Arab
Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered
in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 8,000 offices in
87 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North
America, Latin America and the Middle East. With assets of US$2,418 billion
at 30 June 2010, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial
services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as 'the world's local
bank'

HSBC Bank International

HSBC Bank International is an award winning provider of offshore
financial services, with its head office based in Jersey, Channel Islands. It
also has representation in the Isle of Man, Dubai, Hong Kong, South Africa,
and an affiliate office in London. As part of HSBC Holdings plc, HSBC Bank
International has the experience to offer customers living and working
abroad, tailored offshore financial solutions. For more information visit:
www.offshore.hsbc.com

    Media enquiries to:

    Katy Ringsdore
    PR Manager
    HSBC Bank International
    +44(0)1534-606865
    Katy.Ringsdore@hsbc.com

    Karen Butcher / Nick Woods
    Hill & Knowlton
    +44(0)207-413-3181 / 3515
    Karen.Butcher@hillandknowlton.com
    Nick.Woods@hillandknowlton.com

Media enquiries to: Katy Ringsdore, PR Manager, HSBC Bank International, +44(0)1534-606865, Katy.Ringsdore at hsbc.com; Karen Butcher / Nick Woods, Hill & Knowlton, +44(0)207-413-3181 / 3515, Karen.Butcher at hillandknowlton.com, Nick.Woods at hillandknowlton.com