Countries with the best conditions for expats in Europe revealed
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The Expat Insider 2026 survey evaluated 31 countries.
According to the survey, around 8,000 expatriates from 162 different nationalities were asked how happy they are in their new homes based on five key indexes: working abroad, personal finances, quality of life, expat essentials, and ease of settling in.
Three European countries managed to enter the global top 10 rankings.
🎈 Spain ranked 6th worldwide, making it the best destination in Europe for expats. It ranked first in the quality of life index thanks to its favourable climate, leisure opportunities outside work, affordable public transport, and overall travel options.
🎈 Portugal ranked 4th in the personal finance index and 7th in the ease of settling in index, placing 8th overall and becoming the second-best European country after Spain.
🎈 Luxembourg ranked 4th for working abroad. It placed 3rd in Europe and 10th globally. The country had previously ranked first in categories such as salary and job security.
Other European countries:
🎈 United Kingdom ranked 28th, while
🎈 Turkey ranked 29th, ahead of
🎈 Germany, which fell to 30th place.
Germany performed poorly overall and ranked last in terms of meeting the basic needs of foreign workers. Expats reported problems related to digital life, administrative procedures, housing, and language barriers.
Germany also ranked 28th for ease of settling in and 23rd for personal finances.
Although Scandinavian countries are often considered among the happiest countries in the world, expats living there do not appear to share the same level of satisfaction.
🎈 Norway ranked last in ease of settling in, quality of life, and personal finance categories, placing 31st in these areas.
The top 10 countries where expats are happiest overall in 2026 are:
Panama
Mexico
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
Brazil
Spain
Singapore
Portugal
Malaysia
Luxembourg
Source: Euronews
Photo: Porto, Portugal