Analytical center Experts Club analyzed the results of the international study Expat Insider 2026, prepared by the InterNations community. Panama, Mexico and Thailand were recognized as the best countries for foreigners to live in, while the last places were occupied by Norway, Germany and Turkey.
The survey was conducted from February 1 to March 31, 2026. 7,786 expats of 162 nationalities took part in it. The final rating included 31 countries, in each of which at least 50 completed questionnaires were received. Participants rated up to 53 aspects of life abroad, including work, personal finances, quality of life, living conditions and ease of social adaptation.
Panama took first place for the third year in a row. About 87% of expats living in the country said they were satisfied with their life abroad, compared to the global average of 70%.
The country came out on top for working conditions and personal finances, ranked second for ease of adaptation and availability of basic services, and sixth for quality of life. About 90% of respondents believe their disposable income is enough to live comfortably, and 76% are satisfied with their financial situation.
Panama also received top marks for housing affordability. Nine out of ten expats reported that finding housing in the country is easy. Obtaining a visa was called simple by 82% of respondents. A significant part of the foreign community is retired people - their share reached 37%, and 34% of respondents intend to stay in the country forever.
Mexico took second place, which again became the world leader in terms of ease of social adaptation. About 73% of foreigners said it was easy for them to make friends among locals, compared to the global average of 39%.
However, Mexico's weak point remains security. Personal safety was positively assessed by 68% of respondents, compared to 81% on average worldwide. Despite this, 73% of expats are satisfied with their financial situation, and 38% plan to stay in the country forever.
Thailand took third place and became the country with the most satisfied foreigners. 86% of the respondents reported their well-being, and 42% expect to stay in the country forever.
Expats particularly appreciated the cost of living, the availability of rent and the quality of medical care. Meanwhile, Thailand received low marks for the environment, digital administrative services and opening bank accounts. Only 33% of respondents rated the air quality positively, and 80% consider the Thai language difficult to learn.
UAE, Brazil, Spain, Singapore, Portugal, Malaysia and Luxembourg are also included in the top ten of the rating. The top five countries in the personal finance index are Panama, Thailand, Mexico, Portugal and Malaysia. In most of the leading countries, expats at the same time highly appreciate the affordability of housing and the attitude of the local population.
Lastly, Norway took 31st place. Only 46% of foreigners living there are satisfied with their lives, and 72% believe that it is difficult to make friends among the local population. Only 39% of respondents rated their financial situation positively.
At the same time, Norway remains one of the countries that received the highest ratings for the state of the environment, air quality, employment security and economic stability. The main problems for foreigners were the high cost of living, social isolation, climate and limited opportunities for leisure.
Germany came in 30th place. About 61% of expats called interaction with the bureaucratic system difficult. Only 19% positively assessed the availability of housing, and the same number - the ease of finding it.
Germany also ranked last in the index of basic conditions for expats. Survey participants criticized the insufficient availability of public services online, problems with home internet and the limited spread of non-cash payments. In addition, 57% of foreigners reported that it is difficult for them to make friends among Germans.
In 29th place was Turkey, which took the last positions in terms of working conditions, wages and economic stability. About 61% of respondents negatively assessed the state of the Turkish economy, and 34% reported an annual income of less than $12,000 before taxes.
58% of expats are satisfied with life in Turkey, 14% intend to leave the country within the next year, and only 13% plan to stay forever.
Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Sweden, Canada and Great Britain. Eight of the ten countries at the bottom of the ranking are located in Europe. However, Austria ranked fifth for quality of life, Switzerland ranked eighth, the Czech Republic ranked 13th, and Sweden ranked 15th. This shows that the low overall position is often not related to infrastructure or security, but to the high cost of living, bureaucracy and difficulties of social integration.
According to the founder of the think tank Experts Club's Maxim Urakin, the results of the study cannot be perceived as a universal rating of the level of development of states.
"The rating does not show which country is objectively richer or better managed, but how easy it is for a particular foreigner to blend into local everyday life. Developed infrastructure and high salaries can be combined with expensive housing, complex bureaucracy and social closure.
At the same time, less prosperous states can benefit due to affordable costs, ease of processing documents and a friendly attitude towards visitors," Urakin noted.
He added that when choosing a country to move to, it is necessary to separately analyze migration legislation, the tax regime, the labor market, medicine, education and real estate value.
InterNations emphasizes that the rating is based on the subjective satisfaction of the respondents, and not on a comparison of official statistics. It does not take into account a number of important factors, including international taxation and childcare services, and the safety rating reflects respondents' personal perceptions, not actual crime rates.
