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Work and income

Best countries for expats

Careers, finances, healthcare and settling in, rated by people who actually moved.

InterNations Expat Insider2026 edition, 7,800 respondents

Compare this list against the quality of life rankings and notice that almost none of the same countries appear. Rich and comfortable is not the same as good to arrive in with no local network.

  1. 1st place

    Panama

    1st

    Expat Insider placing

    Also first for working abroad and for personal finance

  2. 2nd place

    Mexico

    2nd

    Expat Insider placing

    First in the world for ease of settling in

  3. 3rd place

    Thailand

    3rd

    Expat Insider placing

The rest of the top 10

Ranked list, positions 4 to 10
RankCountryExpat Insider placing
4th place
United Arab EmiratesNo income tax, and the largest Sri Lankan workforce of any country
4th
5th place
Brazil
5th
6th place
Spain
6th
7th place
SingaporeHighest rated in Asia for career opportunities
7th
8th place
Portugal
8th
9th place
MalaysiaThe closest country on this list to Sri Lanka
9th
10th place
Luxembourg
10th

Source

InterNations Expat Insider

2026 edition, 7,800 respondents

See the full published list

This is information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules and figures change without notice. Confirm anything you plan to act on with the official authority for that country, and check your own position with the eligibility checker.

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All rankings

Highest average salaries

Average annual pay, adjusted so the figures are actually comparable.

  1. 1SwitzerlandUSD 102,611
  2. 2LuxembourgUSD 90,384
  3. 3DenmarkUSD 88,971
  4. 4GermanyUSD 88,144
  5. 5BelgiumUSD 86,545
  6. 6IrelandUSD 86,235
  7. 7NetherlandsUSD 85,877
  8. 8AustriaUSD 83,716
  9. 9NorwayUSD 82,016
  10. 10IcelandUSD 78,723
Top 10 countries2025 report, 2024 data

Best work-life balance

Statutory leave, paid sick days, maternity cover and average hours worked.

  1. 1New Zealand1st, score 86.87
  2. 2Ireland2nd, score 81.17
  3. 3Belgium3rd
  4. 4Germany4th
  5. 5Norway5th
  6. 6Denmark6th
  7. 7Sweden7th
  8. 8Finland8th
  9. 9Iceland9th
  10. 10Netherlands10th
Top 10 countriesLatest edition, published 2025

Best countries for remote workers

Digital nomad visas ranked by how reachable the income threshold actually is.

  1. 1IndonesiaUSD 2,000 per month
  2. 2MalaysiaUSD 2,000 per month
  3. 3CroatiaUSD 2,600 per month
  4. 4SpainUSD 2,900 per month
  5. 5Costa RicaUSD 3,000 per month
  6. 6PortugalUSD 3,500 per month
  7. 7United Arab EmiratesUSD 3,500 per month
  8. 8EstoniaUSD 3,700 per month
  9. 9GreeceUSD 3,900 per month
  10. 10JapanUSD 68,000 per year
Top 10 countriesVerified August 2026