Only Spain comes in fourth out of the top 10 countries, with 84% of expats saying they are happy… [+] (68% globally).
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If you’ve always dreamed of moving to Europe, now might be the perfect time: More and more countries, such as Italy and Turkey, are introducing digital nomad visas, and workplaces continue to embrace remote work arrangements.
That said, there are dozens of destinations to choose from, and you need to be sure to find one that suits your lifestyle, budget and interests. That’s where a new Expat Insider survey by InterNations, a global networking and advice site for expats, can help.
The platform asked more than 12,500 people from 174 countries around the world to rank everything from the ease of making friends to job opportunities. According to their findings, here are the best and worst European countries for expats right now:
Only one European country makes it into the top 10 best countries to live abroad
European countries did not perform the best in the overall rankings, with only one country, Spain, making it into the top 10, coming in at number 4. 84% of expats in Spain say they are satisfied with their life there (compared to 68% globally), making Spain a top choice for those considering relocating or staying abroad long-term. Climate, healthcare and cost of living drive expatriate satisfaction despite minor challenges.
Spain topped the Quality of Life Index for the third consecutive year, coming in first in the subcategory “Leisure Options” for its high-quality culture, nightlife and recreational sports opportunities.
Only Spain comes in fourth out of the top 10 countries, with 84% of expats saying they are happy… [+] (68% globally).
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Expats also love the sunshine, with 88% of respondents enjoying the climate and weather (compared to 58% globally). Spain also comes in third for healthcare, with expats rating both the quality (10th) and affordability (5th) of healthcare highly, with the majority (81%) rating healthcare accessibility positively (compared to 68% globally).
Spain’s performance when it comes to working abroad is less encouraging, with the country ranking 27th, the worst in the index. Foreign workers are particularly unsatisfied with their career opportunities (36th) and the local job market (41st).
Belgium soars up the rankings thanks to work-life balance
Belgium moves up 20 places from last year’s ranking to 18th in 2024. The country’s performance in the Personal Finance Index remained largely unchanged (from 25th to 23rd). However, the country jumps from 21st to 3rd in the Working Abroad Index for 2024.
Expats have a more favorable view of work-life balance (71% vs. 65% in 2023) and personal career opportunities. Nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents give the latter element the highest rating, compared to 18% in 2023. Belgium improves in areas where it already performed well in the past, such as job security (from 2nd to 8th place in 2023).
Belgium has risen 20 places from last year’s ranking, to 18th in 2024.
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Belgium further improves its quality of life index (from 35th to 18th). For example, more than four in five respondents (81%) rate the availability of public transport favourably, 10 percentage points higher than in 2023 (71%). They are also more likely to highlight the affordability of public transport (72% vs. 64%). However, the weather (52nd) and concerns about personal safety (44th) remain issues in Belgium.
Turkey is the worst country to work abroad
Turkey ranks 52nd out of 53 countries surveyed in the Expat Insider 2024 survey. Those considering Turkey as a base for their professional career will be disappointed as the country ranks last (53rd) in the Working Abroad Index. Nearly a third of respondents do not believe that moving to Turkey has improved their career prospects, and an even higher percentage rate their personal career opportunities (40%) and the local job market (45%) negatively. This compares to the global averages of 25% and 31%, respectively.
The situation isn’t much better in the subcategories of work culture and satisfaction (52nd), work and leisure (53rd) and salary and job stability (53rd). “There’s a lot of red tape and difficult government procedures for foreigners. Lack of available work visas and wages is a big problem for foreigners living here,” says one Australian expat.
In the Expat Insider 2024 survey, Turkey ranks 52nd out of 53 countries.
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Turkey remains in the bottom 10 in the Expat Essentials Index (51st). Expats consider the language subcategory to be the toughest hurdle, while digital life and managing topics (42nd) are other challenging aspects.
Turkey climbed out of the bottom 10 in the quality of life index (42nd), but fell to 52nd in the safety and security subcategory. More than a third of expats feel they cannot express themselves or their opinions openly (17% globally).
Aspects where they perform well include the subcategories of Environment & Climate and Healthcare: the majority of expats rate the climate and weather in Mediterranean countries highly (75%, global average 58%).
In terms of the Ease of Settling In index, Turkey ranks 40th – the best performing index, but down 13 places from 27th in 2023. Around a third of expats are not satisfied with their social life, and a similar proportion say locals are generally unfriendly towards expats.
Finland to fall to bottom of rankings in 2024
Finland shines in the subcategories of Environment and Climate (8th) and Digital Life (6th), but drops in the indexes of Ease of Settling Down (50th), Working Abroad (46th) and Personal Finances (52nd). In just one year, the percentage of expats satisfied with life in Finland has fallen from 78% to 51%.
Finland’s Personal Finance Index dropped 22 points to 52nd place. Due to the relatively high cost of living, expats do not consider their disposable income to be sufficient and are dissatisfied with their financial situation.
Only 38% of expats agree that finding accommodation is easy (compared to 45% globally), with language also being a major obstacle: a massive 83% of respondents find it difficult to learn the local language (compared to 40% globally). “If you can’t speak the local language, it’s not easy to get through daily life,” says one Vietnamese expat.
Finland to fall to bottom of rankings in 2024
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After ranking in the top three in 2023, Finland’s quality of life index drops to an average of 26th place in 2024. The standout subcategory is environment and climate, where Finland ranks 8th.
The Healthcare subcategory will drop sharply from 17th in 2023 to 38th in 2024. Expats are particularly dissatisfied with the availability of healthcare services. The worst performing factor on the index is climate and weather, which is rated favorably by only 31% of expats (58% globally).
When it comes to working abroad (46th), the biggest changes are in the subcategories of work & leisure (31st) and workplace culture & satisfaction (27th), both of which dropped from 1st and 3rd place respectively in 2023. Only 47% of expatriates are satisfied with their jobs (60% globally), and while at least three in five rate the state of the Finnish economy favorably, 47% do not believe that moving to Finland has improved their career prospects (21% globally).
