According to a survey conducted by HSBC Bank International, some of the world's highest-paid expatriates live in Asia and the Middle East. A third of expats in Russia earn more than $250,000 a year, making it the country with the highest proportion of high earners. Expats in Japan and Qatar also have high earning potential. Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, and India also have a significant number of expats earning over $200,000 annually. Additionally, countries like Malaysia, China, and India are considered affordable in terms of accommodation costs. The survey concluded that Asia has the highest paid expats, with one in four earning more than $200,000 per year. Russia was ranked as the top country for expats in terms of wealth, with the rest of the top nine countries being in Asia and the Middle East. Saving money is a major benefit of expat life for many individuals, and a survey revealed that Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar, India, and the United Arab Emirates were the top five countries where people have been able to increase their savings. However, expats in Britain and the United States have been negatively impacted by the global economic crisis, with nearly a quarter considering returning home due to high living costs, lack of savings, and lower wages. The survey also found that generous salaries are hard to come by in Australia and Belgium. In both countries, over 60 percent of expats earn less than $100,000, making them the lowest earners among expats globally, where the average is 35 percent. This information comes from the largest survey conducted by HSBC Bank International called Expat Explorer, which involved over 3,100 expats from 26 countries. Despite the challenges of the current economic climate, over half of the expats surveyed are actually earning $100,000 or more, showing that they remain a wealthy group overall. Paul Say, head of marketing and communications for HSBC, highlighted some interesting trends in expat reactions to the credit crunch. More than two-thirds of expatriates around the world reported that the credit crisis has impacted the way they spend their money, with luxuries and day-to-day expenses being the most affected. Nearly 40 percent of expats stated they were saving more for unforeseen circumstances. The majority of expats in Japan, at 53 percent, were reducing their spending on vacations and other extras, while almost half of expats in Thailand and Hong Kong were also making cutbacks. On the other hand, two-thirds of expats in Qatar and over half in Bahrain stated that the global financial crisis would not change their spending habits, suggesting that some oil-rich Gulf Arab countries have not been as severely impacted by the economic downturn. Expats in Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Russia were among the least likely to reduce their spending on luxury items, according to the survey. The survey participants were selected based on four specific criteria: making over $200,000 annually, having a monthly disposable income of over $3,000, saving more while working overseas, and owning at least two luxury items in their current country of residence. The survey took place from February to April 2009.