A new report by expat community InterNations has uncovered the best countries to live in the world in 2026. Contrary to a quality-of-life index, the ranking does not centre around numbers but instead concentrates on how expats feel about the country they live in.
InterNations is the world’s largest expat community and has been surveying its members for years on how they feel about the country they live in. This year’s data for the so-called Expat Insider survey was collected from 1 February to 31 March 2026 among 7,800 expats from 162 nationalities.
While the questionnaire consisted of many more questions, the expats’ answers were divided into five categories: quality of life, working abroad, ease of settling in, personal finance, and expat essentials. Globally speaking, some 70% of those interviewed were happy about their life abroad, a number to keep in mind in order to better understand the list.
Top 10 best countries for expats in 2026
- Panama
- Mexico
- Thailand
- UAE
- Brazil
- Spain
- Singapore
- Portugal
- Malaysia
- Luxembourg
According to the expats interviewed by InterNations, Panama is the best country in the world to live and has been so for three years. It comes in first in the Working Abroad and Personal Finance Indices, second as far as Ease of Settling In and Expat Essentials are concerned, and sixth for Quality of Life. People seem to be particularly content (90%) about their disposable household income, the friendliness of the local residents (90%), and the natural environment. However, even the best country to live in the world for expats has its downsides. The infrastructure for cars ranks last of all 31 countries, and the availability of green goods and services as well as the urban environment are disappointing.
Mexico came in second, scoring particularly well in terms of Local Friendliness, Finding Friends, and Culture & Welcome, Culture & Nightlife, and Climate & Weather. The country obtains the third spot in terms of Personal Finances and the 10th place for personal career opportunities. However, only 68% of expats rate their personal safety positively, compared to 81% globally.
The third spot in the ranking is occupied by Thailand, where 86% of expats are happy with their life abroad and 42% want to stay forever. The country lands a second place in the Personal Finance Index and offers the best-rated cost of living worldwide, local residents are considered the friendliest in the world, and Thailand ranks first for feeling at home. However, Thailand finishes last in the Environment & Climate subcategory, with the air quality and the government’s support for environmental policies being rated particularly badly.
Top 10 worst countries for expats in 2026
- Norway
- Germany
- Türkiye
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Sweden
- Czech Republic
- Italy
- Austria
- Switzerland
At the other end of the ranking stands Norway, where just 46% of expats are content with their life abroad. Almost three-quarters of expats say making local friends is hard, only a quarter are happy with their social life, and just 31% feel at home in Norway (vs. 61%). Money is the other sore point, as Norway has the worst-rated cost of living worldwide and just 39% of expats are satisfied with their financial situation. However, job security and the state of the economy are bright spots. Nature, too, is a positive: 96% of expats love the natural environment, and the air quality is excellent.
