Most Welcoming Countries in the EU for Expats

Key Takeaways

• Spain (6th), Portugal (7th), and Ireland (8th) are the only EU countries in the global top 10 for ease of settling in.
• Expats in Spain describe a social life built around bars, terraces, and clubs. These give newcomers easy places to meet people.
• Ireland ranks 8th for Local Friendliness but 13th of 31 destinations for Finding Friends. Expats describe friendly locals whose childhood friend groups are hard to join.
• Sweden has the lowest EU rank. Expats there describe small talk with neighbours as unwelcome and silence with strangers as polite.
• Germany ranks 28th for ease of settling in. Some expats there describe a reserved culture with little small talk.

Ease of Settling In Rankings for EU Countries

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Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

Stay tuned!

Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

Spain, Portugal, and Ireland Are the Most Welcoming Countries Among 14 Ranked EU Countries

Spain, Portugal, and Ireland are the only EU countries in the global top 10 for ease of settling in. They rank 6th, 7th, and 8th among 31 destinations worldwide.

The Ease of Settling In Index scores three subcategories:

• Culture & Welcome
• Local Friendliness
• Finding Friends

Together, they measure how welcome expats feel, how friendly locals are, and how easily expats make friends.

Spain and Portugal rank in the global top 10 for all three subcategories. Ireland ranks 8th for Local Friendliness but 13th of 31 destinations for Finding Friends.

Expats in Spain describe a social life built around bars, terraces, and clubs. These give newcomers easy places to start conversations.

One expat in Dublin describes a country where locals grew up together and kept their childhood friend groups. Locals are friendly, but those groups are hard to join.

Seven of 14 Ranked EU Countries Are Among the 10 Hardest Destinations to Settle In

Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Czechia, Germany, Austria, and Sweden rank in the bottom 10 of 31 destinations for ease of settling in. Sweden, Austria, and Germany each rank 30th in a different subcategory.

Sweden ranks 30th of 31 destinations for Finding Friends. 70% of expats in Sweden say making local friends is difficult. The worldwide share is 40%.

Some expats describe small talk with neighbours as unwelcome. They shared that silence with strangers shows being polite, because it respects their privacy.

Friendships in Sweden often start through clubs and organised activities.

Austria ranks 30th of 31 destinations for Local Friendliness. Only 38% of expats in Austria find the locals generally friendly. The worldwide share is 63%.

Germany ranks 30th of 31 destinations for Culture & Welcome. 43% of expats in Germany find it easy to get used to the local culture. The worldwide share is 60%.

Expat Communities in Germany ->

Some expats in Germany describe the culture as reserved, with little small talk. In 2024, 67% of expats in Germany found learning German difficult.

Poland has the highest rank among the seven EU countries in the bottom 10. Expats’ happiness with their social life in Poland ranks 9th among 31 destinations.

Each EU country offers a different social culture, from outdoor social lives to reserved, private ones.

Locals can be friendly without friendships forming quickly. Making friends, not meeting friendly people, is where expats in several EU countries describe the most difficulty.