Relocate IndexMost Welcoming Countries for Expats 2026
Cultural warmth determines how quickly you build a social life. Some cultures are genuinely open to newcomers; others are polite but reserved. This dimension blends academic measures of cultural openness with real expat experiences of settling in.
Scored using data from Hofstede IVR, InterNations Ease of Settling In. 42 countries ranked. 18 countries lack data for this dimension.
Data last updated:
Top 15 countries for warmth
Mexico
Latin America · Overall: 47.6
Colombia
Latin America · Overall: 49.8
Brazil
Latin America · Overall: 50.6
Philippines
Southeast Asia · Overall: 50.7
Thailand
Southeast Asia · Overall: 50.4
Indonesia
Southeast Asia · Overall: 46.9
Greece
Southern Europe · Overall: 63.7
New Zealand
Oceania · Overall: 72.5
Australia
Oceania · Overall: 75.0
Spain
Southern Europe · Overall: 66.4
Vietnam
Southeast Asia · Overall: 56.6
South Africa
Africa · Overall: 57.5
United States
North America · Overall: 71.4
Portugal
Southern Europe · Overall: 72.9
Malaysia
Southeast Asia · Overall: 57.8
Lowest-scoring countries
How warmth is calculated
How welcoming and sociable the culture is — combining cultural permissiveness with expat experience.
warmth = IVR × 0.40 + internations_score × 0.60. Both sources required — no fallback.
Limitation: InterNations has ~260 respondents per country. Hofstede IVR is static (2010). Countries missing either source show no warmth score. Mismatch flag when abs(IVR − InterNations) > 30.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the best warmth?
Mexico ranks 1st for warmth with a score of 98 out of 100, based on data from Hofstede IVR, InterNations Ease of Settling In.
How is the warmth score calculated?
Cultural warmth determines how quickly you build a social life. Some cultures are genuinely open to newcomers; others are polite but reserved. This dimension blends academic measures of cultural openness with real expat experiences of settling in. Formula: warmth = IVR × 0.40 + internations_score × 0.60. Both sources required — no fallback.
How many countries are ranked for warmth?
42 countries have warmth scores in the Relocate Index. 18 countries lack sufficient data for this dimension.