The world’s most and least friendly countries to move as an expat – from ‘lovely locals’ to cultural challeng
4 min read
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The world’s friendliest country for expats has been revealed in a survey – with a Central American destination topping the list.
The result comes from a survey by InterNations, an expat guide, which asked foreign residents in 53 countries around the globe to rate their new home.
Expats were asked about their social life, whether they felt at home, how easy it was to get used to the culture and the friendliness of the local population.
So, where are the friendliest places to move as an expat?
The friendliest…
Costa Rica
Costa Rica reigns supreme as the friendliest country in the world to relocate as an expat.
The vast majority of expats (88 per cent) feel ‘very welcome’ in Costa Rica while 83 per cent say they feel at home there.
More than a third (35 per cent) think it’s very easy to get used to the local culture, compared to just 21 per cent worldwide.
A Canadian expat tells InterNations: ‘The locals are generally gentle, lovely people. You learn to adapt to a ‘Pura Vida’ life in Costa Rica.’
Nine in ten expats rate the local residents as friendly which means it’s little surprise that 58 per cent say that finding local friends is easy.
Mexico
Mexico takes second place in the ranking with top marks for its friendly residents.
Almost 75 per cent (73 per cent) of expats are happy with their social life in Mexico while 85 per cent feel welcome there.
Making local friends is easy according to 67 per cent of expats, while 31 per cent say the majority of their friends are Mexican – much higher than the global average of 17 per cent.
A U.S expat tells InterNations: ‘Social connections seem important to people here, so they are eager to make new friends, including expats.’
The Philippines
More than two in five expats (41 per cent) in the Philippines, which ranks third on the list, say they are mostly friends with local residents.
Just under 70 per cent (69 per cent) of expats say making local friends in the Philippines is easy while 68 per cent are happy with their social life in the southeast Asian country.
A British expat reveals to InterNations: ‘I love the free and easy lifestyle. Everybody is open for a chat.’
Nearly four in five expats feel welcome there (85 per cent) and just under 80 per cent (78 per cent) say they feel at home in the Philippines.
The least friendly…
Kuwait
Kuwait ranks as the least friendly country for expats. Only a quarter of expats feel welcome there (26 per cent) and half (49 per cent) don’t feel at home there.
Just under half (47 per cent) of those surveyed say it’s difficult to get used to the local culture while only 22 per cent are happy with their social life in Kuwait.
More than half (53 per cent) of the expats surveyed say they are only friends with other foreign residents in the Middle Eastern country.
This could be because 61 per cent of expats say it is difficult to make friends with local residents in Kuwait.
Norway
Norway ranks second last on the list. Expats find it very difficult to make local friends in the Nordic country with 67 per cent saying they find it a challenge, while 49 per cent are unhappy with their social life.
Less than half of those living in Norway (49 per cent) feel at home while 40 per cent find the local population unfriendly.
Expats also find it tricky to get used to the local culture in Norway – and language skills don’t seem to help.
A Kenyan expat tells InterNations: ‘No matter how advanced my Norwegian language skills are, I still can’t seem to make Norwegian friends.’
Germany
Germany also ranks poorly, coming third from bottom for friendliness with 32 per cent of expats saying they don’t feel welcome there.
Fewer than 40 per cent (39 per cent) of expats find local residents friendly while 65 per cent say they struggle to make local friends in Germany.
A Czech expat reveals to InterNations: ‘It’s hard to make friends with Germans, as they usually have their circle of friends from kindergarten or school.’
