Key Difference – Home vs Host Country
Host country and home country are terms with opposite meanings in a business context. Home country refers to the country where a company’s headquarters is located, while host country refers to foreign countries where the company invests. This is the main difference between home country and host country.
What Does Home Country Mean?
Home country is the country where a person was born and usually raised, regardless of their current country of residence and citizenship. For instance, if you were born and raised in China but moved to England years ago and obtained citizenship, your home country would be China. This term is often used by people living in a second or third country, such as expatriates, refugees, and tourists. However, in some contexts, home country can refer to the country where you permanently reside. For most people, the country they were born and raised in and the country they consider their permanent residence are the same. In a business context, home country refers to where the headquarters are located, i.e., the country of origin.
What Does Host Country Mean?
The term host country has two different meanings. Host country can refer to the country that holds a sporting or cultural event to which others are invited. For example, the sentence ‘Brazil is the host country for the 2016 Olympics’ means that the Olympics were held in Brazil. Host country can also refer to a country that is not your home country. For example, imagine a Japanese student who has been studying in Russia for three years – in this scenario, Russia is their host country. In a business context, host country refers to the foreign countries where a company invests. For example, if a business is headquartered in India but also has operations in South Korea, the host country of this company would be Korea. In this sense, host country is the opposite of home country.
What is the difference between Home and Host Country?
Definition:
Home Country is the country where a person was born and usually raised or the country where they permanently reside.
When one is born and raised in one country and resides permanently in one country, home country usually refers to the country where they were born.
Host Country is the country that holds a sporting or cultural event to which others are invited.
In Business Context:
Home Country refers to the country where the headquarters is located.
Host Country refers to the foreign countries where the company invests.
