Immigrants in European countries are the unhappiest in the world

2025-11-06 16:21:00, Kuriozitete CNA

Only one European country ranked in the top 10 of the 2025 ranking, while six ranked in the bottom 10.

Every year, InterNations, a global community for people living and working abroad, conducts a comprehensive survey about expat life.

The organization asked tens of thousands of immigrants about the ease of settling in, working abroad, and leisure activities in dozens of countries around the world.

In recent years, European migrant destinations such as Italy, France, Germany and Malta have fallen down the rankings, even ranking in the bottom 10.

This year is no different. Only one European country ranked in the top 10 of the 2025 ranking, while six others took places in the bottom 10.

So what is driving migrants away from European destinations, and which countries are becoming increasingly popular?

European countries lose out in immigrant rankings

Spain was the only European country to make the top 10 this year, coming in ninth place.

It managed to take the place mainly because it took first place (out of 46 countries) in the quality of life subcategory - a continuing trend since 2022.

The reasons for the good result are numerous: immigrants love the weather, the culture and nightlife, as well as their opportunities for recreational sports.

Over four in five respondents agree that Spain offers affordable, easily available and high-quality healthcare.

Public transport is another plus, with expats giving Spain high marks for its affordability and availability. It's safe and easy to get around on foot or by bike, too, according to respondents.

However, Spain starts to fall when it comes to the work abroad index. The country ranks a dismal 34th for career prospects and not much better for salary and job security.

Spain also performed poorly on the essentials for expats index. Expats ranked the country 26th for both ease of administration and affordability of housing.

Asian countries dominate the top 10 destinations for immigrants

Compared to last year, China (6th) and Malaysia (10th) are the only new arrivals in the top 10 in 2025. Together with Thailand (4th), Vietnam (5th) and Indonesia (8th), this means that Asian countries dominate half of the list.

One thing that unites immigrants in these five countries is their satisfaction with their personal lives.

Finance, with all of them ranking in the top 10 of the index.

Another key point in these destinations is housing: expats find it both affordable and easy to find.

However, what changes the most is the quality of life index, from China's 6th place to Indonesia's 40th.

However, overall, expats living in these countries rank their happiness in the top 10, with the exception of Malaysia (15th).

Latin American countries take the top spots

The first three positions are occupied by Latin American countries: Panama, Colombia and Mexico.

What they have in common is a friendly and welcoming culture, with no shortage of social life, as shown by an extraordinary ease of getting placed in the index.

They are also hot spots for retirees, with a high percentage of expats (25 percent or more versus 11 percent globally) saying they are already retired.

European countries voted as some of the worst destinations for migrants

More than half of the bottom 10 places in the ranking are occupied by European countries: Italy (37th), Sweden (38th), Norway (39th), the United Kingdom (41st), Germany (42nd) and Finland (43rd).

Expats rank these countries in the bottom 10 when it comes to their happiness with life abroad - except for Italy, which is in a mediocre 26th place.

The reasons for their dissatisfaction vary. For example, while the three Nordic countries offer an excellent environment and climate (ranked in the top 10), immigrants face difficulties with the ease of settling in (bottom 10).

In the index of essential things for immigrants, those living in Italy and Germany have a difficult time with digital life and administration in particular.

Meanwhile, this index is the best-performing in the United Kingdom, but immigrants there struggle with their personal finances, as well as housing and medical costs.

South Korea (44th), Turkey (45th) and Kuwait (46th) make up the bottom three countries.

Expats in particular agree that working in these countries is difficult, with all three countries ranking in the bottom 10 of the working abroad index, as well as in the bottom three for culture and job satisfaction./ CNA