Top 10 best and worst countries for expats in 2025: Asian nations lead list; South Korea, Europe rank among lowest

However, factors such as affordable housing, language barriers, work culture, local friendliness, and bureaucratic processes are some of the considerations before relocation, the survey results stated.

Most Asian countries feature in the list of the best places for expats, and Kuwait and Turkey are placed among the worst countries. Below are the top 10 best and worst countries for expats in 2025.

Global Top 10: Best Countries for Expats in 2025

Latin American countries occupied the top three positions in the 2025 survey, with Panama (1st), Colombia (2nd), and Mexico (3rd), with rankings that can be primarily attributed to the friendliness and welcoming nature of their cultures, as reflected in the Ease of Settling In Index.

While there hasn’t been much change to the top 10 in 2025, Asian countries dominate half of the list, known for affordability and value for money.

China jumped from 19th place into the top 10 of 2025, ranking 6th, and Malaysia (10th) together debuted on the list this year.

Source: Expat Insider Survey 2025 by InterNations

Global Bottom 10: Worst Countries for Expats in 2025

On the contrary, Kuwait sits at the bottom of the list at 46th and Türkiye at 45th, with both ranking considerably low in quality of life and ease of settling in indices — about 17 per cent of expats planning to move out of the country within a year.

While Asia dominates the list of best countries for expats, South Korea is the only exception, slipping 21 places to rank in 44th this year, driven by the language barriers and recent political upheaval and economic turbulence last year.

These bottom three countries rank incredibly low due to expats highlighting the challenging work culture, ranking bottom in the Working Abroad Index and the Work Culture and Satisfaction Index.

More than half of the ranks in the bottom 10 countries are led by European countries, with Sweden at 38th as the new entrant in the list.

Rank 2025	Country
46	Kuwait
45	Türkiye
44	South Korea
43	Finland
42	Germany
41	UK
40	Canada
39	Norway
38	Sweden
37	Italy

Source: Expat Insider Survey 2025 by InterNations

Best and Worst Countries for Expats in 2025

Best and Worst Countries for Expats in 2025: Full rankings of the InterNations Expat Insider 2025

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