Portugal took first place in the ranking of the friendliest countries in the world, obtaining a score of 94%, while the global average was 67%.
The survey, conducted in 180 countries by The Travel platform of travel agency Globe Trotter Travel, called “The Expat Insider Survey” aimed to determine the friendliest countries in the world. For this, information was collected on how the citizens of each country treat foreigners, the ease of making friends with the locals, as well as the likelihood of the foreign citizen establishing permanent residence in the country of visit.
Portugal ranks first in this survey, followed by Taiwan, Mexico, Cambodia, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Oman, Colombia, Vietnam and Canada. According to The Travel, “expatriates love the warm friendliness of the Portuguese people”.
About 36% of people surveyed said they immediately felt “at home” in Portugal, a figure that is almost double the global average. Of these people, about 47% said they would consider staying in the country indefinitely. A significant number of respondents stated that most of the friends they have in Portugal are residents.
In the opposite perspective, Kuwait ranks for the fourth time in a row as the least friendly country with expatriate citizens, followed by Switzerland and Austria. Some expatriates point to the emergence of anti-expatriate sentiment in Kuwait. As for the other two countries, The Travel cites a “lack of interest in making friends” on the part of the Austrians and the “coldness and restlessness” of the Swiss as the main reasons why expats consider these countries less open to foreign citizens.
When it comes to the happiness index, Scandinavian countries lead the way: Finland tops the list for the fifth time in a row, according to the World Happiness Report (WHP in the original acronym) 2022. Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands come next. The report measures average life expectancy, GDP per capita, social support, levels of corruption, social trust, generosity and freedom to establish the ranking. Portugal ranks number 56 in the WHP, and Afghanistan is considered the most unhappy country in the world.
Source: Jornal Económico