A recent InterNations Expat Insider survey ranks the best countries for expats in 2025.
InterNations surveyed 10,085 expats with a sample size of at least 50 participants per country to determine the final ranking. A total of 46 destinations across the globe were ranked based on five topical categories: working abroad, personal finance, quality of life, expat essentials, and ease of settling in.
Survey participants were asked to rate up to 53 factors on a scale of one to seven.
Kathrin Chudoba, Chief Marketing Officer at InterNations, tells CNBC Make It that the biggest takeaway from this year’s ranking is that people looking to live and work abroad are having positive experiences in Asian and Latin American countries, which have a strong showing on the list.
Spain is the only European country to land a spot in the top 10 best country for expats list.
“This confirms a trend that we have observed in the past three years or so and that’s the importance of personal finance amongst expats,” Chudoba says. “It clearly shows that expats haven’t been left untouched by the effects of economic uncertainty and high inflation.”
While the United States didn’t make the top 10, it did rank at No. 36 on the list, falling one spot from No. 35 last year.
Chudoba says the U.S. scored lower ratings across all the indices covered in the survey.
“In the eyes of our respondents, the U.S. suffers from a lack of affordability, availability and equal access, and also the health care quality was perceived as slightly substandard,” she says.
“In the political stability and personal freedom categories, the U.S. received the worst ratings in years with only 58% of expats in the U.S. saying they feel they can openly express themselves and their opinions. That’s worse than the global average of 63%.”
The best country for expats: Panama
For the second consecutive year, Panama ranked as the best country for expats. According to the survey, 94% of expats are happy with their life abroad and found that Panama is the place to be for retirees.
35% of respondents are already retired and 18% say their primary motivation for moving was to retire there. In the quality of life ranking, Panama also ranked No. 3 and 35% plan to stay forever.
“It has a perfect mix of decent infrastructure at affordable prices in combination with a pleasant climate and most importantly, a culture that’s open, friendly and easy to integrate with,” Chudoba says.
Panama
Eduardo Viero | E+ | Getty Images
Panama has long been known as an affordable destination for expats. For about $800 to $1,500 per month, you can live comfortably in small towns, villages and farming communities, according to the Global Citizen Solutions. Those looking to live in the Panamanian capital, Panama City, will require a higher monthly budget of up to $2,500. The overall cost of living in Panama for a single person is 36.3% lower than in the U.S.
Panama offers expats several different visa options, including the Friendly Nations visa, the Pensionado (“Pensioner” in English) Program, and the Remote Worker visa.
The 10 best countries for expats in 2025
- Panama
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- China
- UAE
- Indonesia
- Spain
- Malaysia
Climbing from fifth place in 2024 to No. 2 this year, Colombia ranked as the second-best country for expats. The survey found that 81% of respondents are satisfied with their financial situation in Colombia.
Colombia also ranked highly in the quality of life index, with 92% of respondents stating that their disposable household income is sufficient to lead a comfortable life in the South American country.
“Similar to what makes Panama such a great place, Colombia also shines in the east of settling in index, meaning expats appreciate the friendliness of the population. They feel welcome. They find it easy to integrate into the local culture and to make friends,” Chudoba says.
Chudoba also points out that for Colombia, 36% of expats said they wanted to stay in Colombia forever, and another 47% said they have no clear plans of leaving the country.
Colombia
F.j. Jimenez | Moment | Getty Images
The cost of living in Colombia is 62.2% lower than the United States, including rent. If that wasn’t low enough, the rent prices in Colombia are 76.2% lower than in America.
Similar to Panama, Colombia offers several visa options for expats seeking to reside in the South American country. Some of the most common types of visas are the Type M for Migrant and the Type V for Visitor. Both visas have subcategories like investment, work, retirement, student and digital nomad.
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