In the eyes of our one-time colonial masters, Singapore is just the place to be in when relocation looms.

The findings may startle some who would have long held Australia and New Zealand to being the choice pick of nations for relocation. The study from 1st International Removals of some 18 countries found the Southeast Asian city state topped the charts when it came to the lowest levels of crime and unemployment as well as having the highest education standards and the most efficient healthcare system.

It said that Singapore’s take home pay is almost double that in the UK, due to higher average annual incomes and a lower top level of income tax (22% compared to 45%), a Brit earning the average wage in Singapore could walk away with $46,785 in their pocket every year after tax, which is almost double $32,781.15 in the UK.

The city state also had its healthcare to be proud of. In Singapore, you can expect quicker diagnosis with better medical technology as well as shorter waiting times, quicker test results and better staff. Comparatively, the UK healthcare system placed 10 on the efficiency scale for the countries examined, the report told

With a 2.1% unemployment rate, Singapore’s jobless rate is twice as little than UK’s figure 4.8%, leading to improved job prospects on top of higher incomes, in addition to the world’s best education system meaning a brighter future for expats looking to relocate their families. Topping the charts for unemployment were South Africa and Spain with 27.1% and 18.9%.

Second and third to Singapore were Canada and Australia, which both scored highly for incomes and English reading, speaking and writing levels, but were let down by living costs, property prices and crime rates.

Spain, France and South Africa which all have high UK expat populations performed poorly, largely due to low incomes, high income tax, but also due to social factors such as unemployment, education healthcare and crime, but also English speaking levels, as did China, India, Brazil and Russia.

At the other end of the scale, India, despite having the lowest cost of food for a weekly shop $150 compared to $308 in the UK for a family of four, was statistically the worst location, with once UK expat hotspot South Africa and Brazil making up the bottom three.