Where Expats Feel Welcome in 2026 — And Where They Don’t

➡️You’re welcome to use these 2026 Expat Insider results. Please remember to credit InterNations as the source, and where possible, include a link to www.internations.org.

In this article:

• Methodology
• Mexico’s (1st) Unbeatable Warmth
• Panama (2nd) Makes Newcomers Feel at Ease
• Thailand (3rd): At Home in the Land of Smiles
• Norway (31st) Comes in Last across the Board
• Sweden (30th): Lonely up North
• Austria (29th): Friendly Faces Are Few & Far Between
• Trends in the Top 10
• Trends in the Bottom 10
• Full Ranking
• Further Reading

Methodology

The Ease of Settling In Index is made up of three subcategories with two to three factors each.

Culture & Welcome considers whether expats feel welcome and at home in their new host country, as well as how easy they find it to get used to the local culture.

In the Local Friendliness Subcategory, respondents share their view on the friendliness of the local population — both in general and towards foreign residents specifically.

Last but not least, the Finding Friends Subcategory summarizes whether expats feel like they have a personal support network in their new home; are content with their social life; and find it easy to make local friends.

For a country to be ranked in the index, a minimum sample size of 50 respondents is required. In 2026, 31 destinations met this threshold.

Mexico’s (1st) Unbeatable Warmth

Mexico claims the top spot in the Ease of Settling In Index 2026 with a clean sweep: all three subcategories — Local Friendliness, Finding Friends, and Culture & Welcome — rank 1st. Expats clearly feel welcome (87% vs. 64% globally) and at home (84% vs. 61%) in the country.

The standout result is how easy it is to make local friends: close to three-quarters (73%) agree, compared to just 39% worldwide — a gap of 34 percentage points. Expats are similarly happy with their social life (75% vs. 54% globally) and have a personal support network in the country (73% vs. 58%).

This shows in who expats spend their time with. More than a third of respondents in Mexico (34%) describe their friends and acquaintances as mostly locals, double the global average of 17%. And they’re in no rush to leave: 38% want to stay forever (vs. 27% globally).

Panama (2nd) Makes Newcomers Feel at Ease

Ranking 1st overall in the Expat Insider 2026 survey, Panama also shines in the Ease of Settling In Index (2nd). Nine in ten expats (90%) find the locals generally friendly, far above the global average of 63%.

The Finding Friends and Culture & Welcome Subcategories both rank 2nd. Close to three-quarters are happy with their social life (73% vs. 54% globally) and have a personal support network there (72% vs. 58%). Getting used to the local culture is also easy for 77% (vs. 60% globally).

Unlike in Mexico, expats in Panama are nevertheless more likely to stick with each other: two in five (40%) say their friends are mostly other expats.

Thailand (3rd): At Home in the Land of Smiles

Thailand completes the top 3 and lives up to its reputation: expats rank the general friendliness of the local residents 1st, with 89% positive ratings (vs. 63% globally). A only slightly lower share of 85% say the locals are friendly towards foreign residents specifically (vs. 61%), and feeling at home there ranks 1st.

Results for Finding Friends (4th) are slightly more modest. Two-thirds (67%) are happy with their social life (vs. 54% globally), while just under half (49%) find making local friends easy — still 10 percentage points above the global average of 39%. The language may play a role: 36% of expats in Thailand don’t speak the local language at all (vs. 10% globally).

None of this dampens their commitment, though. More than two in five (42%) want to stay forever (vs. 27% globally).

Norway (31st) Comes in Last across the Board

Norway doesn’t just rank last in the Ease of Settling In Index 2026 — it places 31st out of 31 destinations for every single subcategory and rating factor. Close to three-quarters (72%) say making local friends is difficult (vs. 40% globally), including over two in five (41%) who find it very difficult (vs. 16%).

The locals don’t help the first impression: 46% of expats find them generally unfriendly (vs. 18% globally), and 44% experience them as unfriendly towards foreign residents (vs. 20%). Consequently, expats in Norway often lack a personal support network (31% have one vs. 58% globally) and are unhappy with their social life (56% negative ratings vs. 27%).

Just 31% feel at home in Norway (vs. 61% globally), and about half of respondents (51%) socialize mostly with other expats (vs. 37%). Over a quarter (27%) plan to leave within the next five years or sooner (vs. 21% globally).

Sweden (30th): Lonely up North

Sweden receives its worst result in the Finding Friends Subcategory (30th). Only a quarter of expats (25%) are happy with their social life there (vs. 54% globally), and 70% say making local friends is difficult (vs. 40%). Fewer than half (49%) have a personal support network (vs. 58% globally).

Culture & Welcome (29th) doesn’t fare much better: fewer than half feel welcome (46% vs. 64% globally) or at home (48% vs. 61%) in Sweden. Loneliness already worried 28% of expats before their move — a concern that seems to have come true for many. Notably, 10% want to leave as soon as possible, more than three times the global average of 3%.

Austria (29th): Friendly Faces Are Few & Far Between

Austria lands in the bottom 3 mainly due to the Local Friendliness (30th) — or rather the lack thereof. Only 38% of expats perceive the locals as generally friendly (vs. 63% globally), and just a third (33%) say they’re friendly towards foreign residents (vs. 61%) — while 45% say the opposite.

Making local friends is difficult for three in five expats (60% vs. 40% globally). There’s one silver lining, however: 59% have a personal support network in Austria (14th), just above the global average of 58%. Close to half (47%) still mostly count other expats among their friends (vs. 37%).

The language barrier, which 44% named a concern before moving (vs. 32% globally), may explain part of the struggle.

Trends in the Top 10

1. Mexico
2. Panama
3. Thailand
4. Brazil
5. UAE
6. Spain
7. Portugal
8. Ireland
9. USA
10. South Africa

Latin America dominates the top of the Ease of Settling In Index 2026. Mexico (1st) and Panama (2nd) are joined by Brazil (4th), which ranks in the top 5 for every single factor of the index — including 2nd place for the locals’ friendliness towards foreign residents and the ease of making local friends.

The UAE (5th) is the only Middle Eastern destination in the top 10, standing out for how easy it is to get used to the local culture (3rd). Southern Europe is represented by Spain (6th) and Portugal (7th), which deliver consistent results across all three subcategories.

The English-speaking world makes an appearance with Ireland (8th), the USA (9th), and South Africa (10th), though all three show slight weak spots: Ireland ranks just 13th for Finding Friends, and expats in the USA rank feeling welcome 13th. And while Finding Friends (5th) is a strength in South Africa, the Culture & Welcome Subcategory (15th) keeps it from climbing higher — feeling welcome there only ranks 19th.

Trends in the Bottom 10

22. Poland
23. Netherlands
24. Japan
25. Denmark
26. Switzerland
27. Czechia
28. Germany
29. Austria
30. Sweden
31. Norway

The bottom 10 is a distinctly European affair: Japan (24th) is the only non-European destination on the list. Expats there rate the local friendliness comparatively well (23rd) but struggle to get used to the culture (29th).

The Nordics live up to their chilly reputation. Norway (31st) and Sweden (30th) are the hardest to settle in, and Denmark (25th) isn’t far behind, with results in all three subcategories in the bottom 10.

German-speaking countries don’t fare better: Switzerland (26th), Germany (28th), and Austria (29th). Germany performs worst in Culture & Welcome (30th), with less than half the expats feeling at home (48% vs. 64% globally) and finding it easy to get used to the local culture (43% vs. 60%). Nearby Czechia (27th) and the Netherlands (23rd) share similar struggles, with expats in Czechia ranking feeling welcome just 30th.

Poland (22nd) is the best of the rest — and even boasts a surprising highlight in the index: expats’ happiness with their social life ranks 9th.

Full Ranking

Further Reading

• The Best & Worst Countries for Expats in 2026
• Where Expats Enjoy the Best Quality of Life in 2026
• Balance, Prospects & Pay: The Best Countries to Work Abroad in 2026
• From Comfort to Constant Struggle: Expat Finances in 2026
• Where Handling the Essentials Abroad Is Easy & Hard in 2026
• Expat Insider Survey Demographics 2026
• Mexico in 2026: Friendly Locals & Low Costs
• Panama: No. 1 for Expats in 2026
• Happy Days & Affordable Living for Expats in Thailand in 2026
• Breathtaking Nature & a Lonely Welcome in Norway in 2026
• Clean Air & Cold Comfort for Expats in Sweden in 2026
• Austria in 2026: Alpine Quality of Life vs. Cold Reception
• Expat Insider 2025 | Ease of Settling In Index