February 15, 2025, 6:26 pm | Read time: 10 minutes

The international expatriate portal InterNations regularly asks thousands of members about their experiences abroad. The result is a ranking of the best and worst countries for expats to live and work in. This time, Germany scored even worse than in previous years. TRAVELBOOK reveals the reasons for this and also the other rankings in the latest “Expat Insider” report.

The Ranking

Study participants were asked to rate their new home country in the survey based on 53 criteria. These included quality of life, financial situation, and job satisfaction, as well as job prospects, available leisure activities, personally perceived safety, and the hospitality of the locals. Topics such as the digital infrastructure, climate, administration, housing, and language were also discussed. The emigrants provided information on a scale of one to seven.

The survey focused on personal satisfaction with the individual areas; factual and emotional aspects weighed equally. Data from official sources was not included. InterNations summarized these criteria into 16 categories. The results were used to create five indexes for individual areas of life: quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, personal finances, and essentials for expatriates. Combined with the answers to the question “How happy are you with your life abroad overall?” these indices were used to determine the ranking of the best and worst countries worldwide for expatriates. The survey took place in February of last year.

The Best Country for Expats at the Moment Is …

… Panama. The small Central American country between Costa Rica and Colombia not only promises dream beaches on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, but it also offers a number of happy expats a new home. More than four out of five expats are happy here, 82 percent in fact – compared to the 68 percent of happy expats worldwide.

So, what’s the secret to the happiness of expats in Panama? Almost three quarters report satisfaction with their financial situation, a full 20 percent more than the global average. 88 percent feel that their disposable household income is high enough or more than enough. Another aspect is affordable housing, which is also the easiest to find in the world. Almost a third of emigrants are already retired, but Panama also manages a solid twelfth place in the index for working abroad. In terms of work-life balance, the country shines in third place, with working hours in seventh place. Incidentally, almost half of expats in Panama work remotely. Panama also performs particularly well in key areas such as language, digital, and visas.

Panama ranks worst in the quality of life index with its 16th place. At the same time, 90 percent of emigrants feel safe, and healthcare appears to be solid, ranking 15th. On the other hand, an inexpensive public transport system is not very available, and the infrastructure for cars is far worse. At the same time, however, emigrants enjoy easily accessible leisure facilities and a pleasant climate.

And what is it like to arrive in Panama? Here, the country ranks seventh, and emigrants report that 73 percent of them feel at home and 81 percent feel welcome. Three-quarters also found it easy to adapt to local customs. Social life is apparently really good (2nd place), and expats have also found it quite easy to make friends (7th place). More than two out of five expats completely agreed that the inhabitants of Panama are friendly towards immigrants.

Mexico Makes Expats Happy

The second-placed country in this year’s index of the best countries for expats is Mexico. Almost nine out of ten expats report that they are happy there. One reason for this is probably the ease of arrival, as well as the great friendliness of the Mexicans, who made many of the expats feel welcome. The emigrants report that it is easy to settle into the culture and make friends. And more than three-quarters now feel at home in Mexico. Affordable housing is also easy to find, and visas are easy to obtain, but almost half find the bureaucracy difficult to handle.

The employment situation for immigrants in Mexico now seems to be really good, with the country climbing from 22nd to eighth place within a year. However, only slightly more than half of emigrants in Mexico still work at all. Those who do are happy about the job market, their career opportunities, and their work-life balance.

However, one area where Mexico falls short is safety: only 66%, less than two-thirds, feel secure. In contrast, the global average is 80 percent.

Expats in Indonesia Have the Best Work-Life Balance in the World

The third best country for emigrants this year is Indonesia. The Southeast Asian country impressed its immigrants with low costs, the second-friendliest people, and the best work-life balance in the world. 84 percent of the study participants living there said they were happy in their new home. 85 percent feel welcome and at home in their new country.

In terms of the work situation, Indonesia has made a big leap: from 27th place in 2023, the country landed in ninth place worldwide this year. Among other things, this is due to short working days, good career opportunities, and a generally high level of job satisfaction. Indonesia also ranks well in terms of personal finances, with a low cost of living and affordable housing. For example, the report quotes an American who says: “You definitely need less money to live comfortably here.”

Expats in Indonesia mainly have difficulties with the not-so-fast internet, cashless payment options, online access to administration, and the restriction of various online services, such as social media. However, the situation is worse in various areas that affect the quality of life, including unsatisfactory healthcare and sometimes poor air quality. On the other hand, many people are happy about the great climate and weather, the culinary diversity, and the culture and nightlife.

The Current Best and Worst Countries for Expats at a Glance

1. Panama
2. Mexico
3. Indonesia
4. Spain
5. Colombia
6. Thailand
7. Brazil
8. Vietnam
9. Philippines
10. United Arab Emirates
11. Costa Rica
12. Oman
13. Saudi Arabia
14. Kenya
15. Portugal
16. Australia
17. Qatar
18. Belgium
19. China
20. Luxembourg
21. Hong Kong
22. Malaysia
23. South Korea
24. Austria
25. Denmark
26. Netherlands
27. Greece
28. Poland
29. South Africa
30. Singapore
31. New Zealand
32. India
33. Bahrain
34. Switzerland
35. USA
36. Cyprus
37. Japan
38. France
39. Czech Republic
40. Chile
41. Egypt
42. Sweden
43. Hungary
44. United Kingdom
45. Ireland
46. Malta
47. Italy
48. Norway
49. Canada
50. Germany
51. Finland
52. Turkey
53. Kuwait

The Bottom of the Ranking of Countries for Expats

For the seventh time in a row, Kuwait came last in the ranking. The reasons given by respondents included the fact that the locals are not particularly friendly towards immigrants and rated their social life as predominantly negative. Many also disliked the climate and environment. More than two-thirds of the population moved to Kuwait for job reasons, but the local situation is anything but promising.

Turkey is in penultimate place in the overall ranking and in last place when it comes to working abroad. Almost a third of expats are unhappy with life here, which is due not only to the poor work situation but also the poor economic situation. The language, digital life, and bureaucracy also cause major difficulties for expats. More than a third also complain that they cannot express their opinions openly. According to a third of the evaluations, the inhabitants of Turkey are also not necessarily friendly towards expats, and they are correspondingly unhappy with their social life.

Germany in 50th place out of 53 – These are the Reasons

Germany continues to descend in the Expat Insider survey rankings. In fact, this year, the country received its worst ranking since the report began in 2014. Germany is ranked 50th out of 53. Why are expats so dissatisfied with Germany?

If you look at the various indices, you can see that immigrants’ dissatisfaction starts with their arrival: Germany is ranked 51st in the world when it comes to ease of arrival. Many immigrants in Germany find it difficult or at least tedious to make new friends. 32 percent do not feel welcome, and 41 percent do not feel at home. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that only just over half of the expats surveyed are happy in Germany. For instance, an immigrant from Ghana shares: “The culture feels incredibly isolating and rigid. Forming friendships is a challenge, and there’s a constant fear of inadvertently breaking a rule.”

“The Bureaucracy Is Devastating”

Things are even worse when it comes to the essentials for emigrants. The corresponding index shows Germany in last place. One Canadian expat, for example, explains: “The bureaucracy is devastating and not easy for foreigners to deal with. There is little support for expats. Few services are available online.” Unsurprisingly, Germany ranks 45th for administrative matters, and around two out of three expats find dealing with the authorities difficult. And when it comes to digitalization, Germany is even penalized with the last place, among other things, for too slow internet and the still frequent difficulties in making cashless payments.

This is compounded by the language barrier, which puts Germany in 50th place in this category. Not only do many emigrants find German a difficult language to learn, but more than half also complain that, in many places, it is still not possible to get by without speaking German. Not only do they not understand the language, but emigrants are not necessarily treated kindly in their predicament. Four of the six German cities in the Expat Insider Report’s city ranking are in the flop 10 in terms of friendliness, with Berlin in last place. Cologne and Düsseldorf at least make it into the lower midfield.

Where Things Work Well for Expats in Germany

Germany earns high marks for its availability of eco-friendly products and services, securing it the seventh spot on a global scale. Most expats also like the natural and urban environments. In addition, many feel that the work situation is still so good that the country occupies a moderate 23rd place here. Immigrants are particularly pleased with the job security, with a full 60 percent of them moving to Germany because of the better career opportunities. However, only just over half are really satisfied with their work.

The quality of life in Germany is still in the midfield (27th place) for immigrants but fell nine places compared to the previous year. Although healthcare is affordable, it is difficult to access, according to the immigrants surveyed. In terms of personal safety and political stability, Germany ranks slightly higher than the global average: 81% of expats feel safe in Germany, compared to 80% worldwide. Political stability is at 65 percent, compared to 59 percent worldwide, but has dropped eleven places this year. This is not too surprising in view of the latest election results. The travel category fares best in this index. The study’s authors attribute this to the introduction of the ‘Deutschlandticket.’ Nine out of ten immigrants rate the travel opportunities in Germany positively overall.

More on the topic

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World Happiness Report 2025 The (un)Happiest Countries in the World — Germany Scores So Badly

Analysis These Destinations Will Make You Particularly Happy in 2025

Criticism of the Ranking

As responses from 50 survey participants per country were sufficient to include the respective nation in the ranking, the study is not truly representative. In addition, many emigrants who were unable to take part in the survey – or, depending on the country, may not have wanted to comment on the conditions for fear of reprisals – were not included in the survey.