Relocate IndexMethodology
Relocate Index ranks 60 countries across 10 data-driven dimensions. It narrows the field to a shortlist — it does not make the decision for you.
Composite scoring
Your composite score is a weighted sum of all dimension scores. Each slider weight is normalised so they sum to 1.0. Dimensions set to 0 are excluded. If a country is missing data for a dimension, that dimension is excluded and the remaining weights re-normalise automatically. If the missing dimensions account for more than 30% of your total weight budget, that country is moved to a separate "Limited data" section below the main ranking — its partial score is still shown, but it won't rank above countries with more complete data. When a dimension has partial data (some but not all sources available), the available sources are reweighted proportionally.
composite = Σ (dimension_score × normalised_weight)Normalisation
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., GPI, Pew restrictions), the scale is inverted. Min-max boundaries are set from observed data across the 60-country panel.
The 10 dimensions
Purchasing Power
economicHow far money stretches in each country — based on price levels, purchasing power parity (PPP), and out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Uses country-level data, not your personal salary.
purchasing_power = oecd_ppp_normalised × 0.55 + cost_affordability × 0.30 + (100 − oop_burden) × 0.15Country-level only — no city-level granularity until Numbeo added in V2.
Rule of Law
socialHow well institutions work and how safe the streets actually feel — combining governance quality with street-level crime perception.
civic_culture = governance × 0.60 + street_safety × 0.40. governance = wgi_rule_of_law × 0.55 + wgi_corruption_control × 0.45. street_safety = 100 − numbeo_crime_index.Governance data is institutional (WGI). Street safety is crowdsourced perception (Numbeo). Neither captures behavioural civicness (queuing, littering, social norms) directly.
Safety
safetyOverall peace and security based on conflict risk, political instability, and societal safety.
safety = gpi_normalised (inverted, min-max across 1.0–3.5)Single-source — measures country-level peace/conflict (GPI). Street-level crime perception is captured in Rule of Law via Numbeo.
Warmth
socialHow 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.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.
School Culture
socialAcademic quality plus student wellbeing — belonging, bullying rates, and school safety.
school_culture = pisa_academic × 0.25 + pisa_belonging × 0.30 + pisa_bullying_inv × 0.30 + pisa_safety × 0.15PISA 2022 is the latest scored edition. PISA 2025 results expected late 2026 or early 2027.
Healthcare
economicThree-pillar health system score: coverage breadth (UHC), care quality and outcomes (HAQ), and workforce capacity (physicians, beds, nurses). The badge shows what it means for your budget.
healthcare = UHC × 0.35 + HAQ × 0.35 + capacity × 0.30. capacity = physicians_norm × 0.40 + beds_norm × 0.35 + nurses_norm × 0.25.HAQ is from GBD 2019 — next update pending. Capacity data is OECD 2022 for member countries, WHO GHO for others.
Infrastructure
economicQuality of physical and digital infrastructure — transport, energy, communications, technology.
infrastructure = imd_infra_score (direct pass-through, already 0–100)IMD uses 300+ indicators per country. Well-validated but only covers ~60 countries.
Climate
lifestyleTemperature, sunshine, and rainfall scored against your preferred weather type. Select your preference during onboarding or adjust in the ranking view.
climate = 100 − (|avg_temp − ref| × penalty) − rain_penalty − sunshine_penalty. Reference temp and thresholds vary by weather type.For 8 large countries, city-level data is available. For all others, a single representative city is used. Heuristic scoring, not a climate model.
Religious Freedom
identityGovernment restrictions and social hostility toward religious practice.
religious_freedom = (100 − pew_govt_normalised) × 0.50 + (100 − pew_social_normalised) × 0.50Expert-assessed, not survey-based. Captures state/social level, not neighbourhood level.
English Proficiency
lifestylePopulation-level English ability. English-native countries are scored at 10.
english_proficiency = ef_epi_normalised (min-max across 300–700). Native countries hardcoded to 100.EF EPI tests self-selected online test-takers, which skews slightly upward.
Context data — shown, never scored
Some country pages show additional context rows that do not enter any score or ranking. Under Rule of Law these are: Cultural Tightness–Looseness (Gelfand 2011 / Uz 2015 — how strictly a society enforces social norms, a matter of personal fit rather than quality), Yale EPI Waste Management (waste infrastructure, strongly tied to national wealth), and the World Happiness Report's expected wallet return (perceived trust from the 2019 World Risk Poll, not a measured outcome). Under Warmth, Gallup's Migrant Acceptance Index plays the same role. These rows exist to help you build your own picture of everyday life — they never move a country up or down the ranking.
What this tool does NOT cover
Once you have your shortlist, here's what to research next:
- Visa and immigration pathways
- Housing costs and availability
- Tax systems and take-home pay
- Job market strength by industry
- Language courses and integration programmes
Download raw data
CSV of all normalised scores for all 60 countries. Use it for your own analysis.
Frequently asked questions
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.