Relocate IndexFrequently Asked Questions
Common questions about how Relocate Index works, what data it uses, and how to use it to narrow your relocation shortlist.
Using Relocate Index
What is Relocate Index?
Relocate Index is a free tool that ranks 60 countries across 10 weighted dimensions — purchasing power, safety, healthcare, climate, and more — to help you narrow down where to relocate. It uses public institutional data and does not require login or payment. See the full ranking at /ranking.
How do I compare two countries side by side?
Use the comparison tool at /compare to see up to 3 countries side by side with a radar chart and per-dimension delta table. You can also browse pre-built comparisons for countries in the same region, such as country-vs-country pages linked from each country's detail page.
Which countries score highest overall?
The full ranking at /ranking shows all 60 countries sorted by composite score using default equal weights. You can adjust the weight sliders to match your own priorities — the ranking recalculates instantly.
What if I care about one dimension more than others?
Browse dimension-specific rankings under "Explore by dimension" below, such as the safest countries to live in or the best countries for healthcare. Each page ranks all 60 countries by that single dimension and links to country detail for more context.
Does Relocate Index cover every country in the world?
No — it covers 60 countries across 12 world regions, selected for data availability across all 10 dimensions. Browse countries by region to see coverage for a specific part of the world, such as Western Europe or Southeast Asia.
What do the technical terms and acronyms mean?
See the glossary for plain-language definitions of terms like UHC, HAQ, GPI, PPP, PISA, and other indices used throughout Relocate Index scoring.
Can I see the data behind a specific country?
Yes. Every country has its own detail page showing dimension scores, underlying raw indicator values, source links, and a plain-language summary. Search for a country from the ranking page or visit its page directly, e.g. /country/de for Germany.
Methodology and scoring
How does Relocate Index score countries?
Each country receives a composite score calculated as a weighted sum of 10 dimension scores. The formula is: composite = Σ (dimension_score × normalised_weight). Users set the weights to match their priorities. Dimensions set to zero are excluded and remaining weights re-normalise automatically.
What are the 10 dimensions used to rank countries for relocation?
Purchasing Power, Rule of Law, Safety, Warmth, School Culture, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Climate, Religious Freedom, and English Proficiency. Each dimension uses institutional data sources and is scored 0-100.
What data sources does Relocate Index use?
OECD (purchasing power parity, health capacity), World Bank (governance indicators, price levels), WHO (universal health coverage), IHME GBD (healthcare access and quality), Global Peace Index (safety), Numbeo (street-level crime perception), PISA 2022 (education quality), Hofstede Insights (cultural dimensions), InterNations (expat friendliness), IMD (infrastructure), Pew Research (religious freedom), EF EPI (English proficiency), and Open-Meteo ERA5 (climate data).
How many countries does Relocate Index cover?
60 countries across all major world regions: Western Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, Latin America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Oceania, and Africa.
How are country scores normalised?
All raw values are normalised to a 0-100 scale where higher is always better. For indices where a lower raw value is better (e.g., Global Peace Index, Pew restrictions), the scale is inverted at normalisation time. Min-max boundaries are set from observed data across the 60-country panel.
Is Relocate Index free to use?
Yes. Relocate Index is completely free. All underlying data sources are publicly available from institutions like the World Bank, OECD, and WHO. There is no login wall, paywall, or premium tier.
How often is the data updated?
Data refreshes monthly via automated pipelines. Most underlying sources (World Bank, WHO, GPI, PISA) publish annually or biennially. The pipeline checks for new releases on the 1st of each month and recomputes all scores when fresh data arrives.
Can I download the raw data?
Yes. A CSV export of all normalised scores for all 60 countries is available on the methodology page. Use it for your own analysis.
What is the difference between safety and rule of law?
Safety measures country-level peace and security using the Global Peace Index — conflict risk, political instability, and societal safety. Rule of law measures institutional quality (World Bank governance indicators for courts, corruption control) combined with street-level crime perception (Numbeo Crime Index). A country can be peaceful overall but have weak institutions, or vice versa.
Why are some countries shown with limited data?
When the missing dimensions account for more than 30% of your total weight budget, a country is moved to the "Limited data" section. Its partial score is shown, but it does not rank among countries with more complete data. This prevents countries with few data points from appearing artificially high or low.
What does the warmth dimension measure?
Warmth captures how easily newcomers can build a social life and feel welcomed. It blends the Hofstede Indulgence vs Restraint score (cultural openness) with the InterNations Ease of Settling In survey (expat-reported experience). Both sources must be available for a country to receive a warmth score — 18 countries lack this data.
How does the climate scoring work?
Climate is scored differently from other dimensions. You select a climate preference (tropical heat, sunny warm, four seasons, etc.) and countries are scored on how well their actual climate data matches that preference. Temperature, sunshine hours, and rainfall data come from Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. If you select "no preference," a simple heuristic score is used.
Why doesn't the index cover visa, tax, or job markets?
Relocate Index narrows the field to a shortlist of candidate countries. Visa pathways, tax systems, housing costs, and job markets are highly personal — they depend on your nationality, profession, family situation, and income. These are best researched once you have a short list of 5-8 countries. The "What this tool does NOT cover" section lists what to research next.
How are missing dimensions handled?
If a country has no data for a dimension, that dimension is excluded from its composite score. The remaining dimension weights re-normalise to sum to 1.0, so the score reflects only available data. The country receives a "Limited data" badge showing which dimensions are missing.
What does the healthcare score include?
Healthcare uses a three-pillar formula: WHO Universal Health Coverage index (35%), IHME Healthcare Access and Quality index (35%), and healthcare capacity (30%). Capacity combines physicians per 1,000 (40%), hospital beds per 1,000 (35%), and nurses per 1,000 (25%). If some capacity data is missing, available sources are reweighted proportionally.