This page shows the results of a few days googling to find “the best countries to live in”. Listed here in alphabetical (or ranking) order. All according to a variety of websites. But of course: please take everything with a grain of salt.
Maybe you wonder where why the United States don’t show up in these listings very often. Certainly in the searches the US as a whole were included (but not individual states), but often the US didn’t rank very highly…
Not included were countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
No references here, but if you want to check these findings, use Google.
Most welcoming to foreigners:
☐ Austria ☐ Belgium ☐ Bosnia/Herzegovenia ☐ Canada ☐ Iceland ☐ Malta ☐ New Zealand ☐ Portugal ☐ Estonia
Highest % of English speakers:
☐ USA/Canada/UK/Ireland/Australia/New Zealand ☐ Sweden 71% ☐ Netherlands 70% ☐ Norway 68% ☐ Denmark 67% ☐ Belgium 64% ☐ Portugal 60% ☐ Greece 58% ☐ Spain 56% ☐ Italy 56% ☐ France 55%
Relatively safe with climate change:
☐ Canada ☐ Denmark ☐ Finland ☐ Germany ☐ Norway ☐ Poland ☐ Sweden. This subject could certainly use more detailed research. See: “How are cities planning to respond to climate change? Assessment of local climate plans from 885 cities in the EU”
Best food supply (Global Food Security Index):
☐ Ireland ☐ USA ☐ Switzerland ☐ Finland ☐ Norway ☐ Sweden ☐ Canada ☐ Netherlands ☐ Austria ☐ Germany
Most peaceful:
☐ Austria ☐ Canada ☐ Denmark ☐ Iceland ☐ Ireland ☐ Japan ☐ Netherlands ☐ New Zealand ☐ Portugal ☐ Switzerland
Safest (according to Global Peace Index):
☐ Iceland ☐ New Zealand ☐ Portugal ☐ Austria ☐ Denmark ☐ Canada ☐ Singapore ☐ Czech Republic ☐ Japan ☐ Switzerland ☐ Czechia ☐ Ireland ☐ Australia ☐ Finland ☐ Netherlands ☐ Belgium ☐ Sweden ☐ Norway ☐ Germany
Least civil gun ownership (per 100 persons):
☐ Ecuador 2.4 ☐ Poland 2.5 ☐ Netherlands 2.6 ☐ UK 4.6 ☐ Estonia 5 ☐ Spain 7.5 ☐ Denmark 9.9 ☐ France 19.6 ☐ Germany 19.6 ☐ Portugal 21.3 ☐ Sweden 23.1 ☐ Switzerland 27.6 ☐ Norway 28.8 ☐ Austria 30 ☐ Finland 32.4 ☐ Canada 34.7 …… ☐ USA 120.5
Least crime:
☐ Austria ☐ Denmark ☐ Estonia ☐ Finland ☐ Iceland ☐ Netherlands ☐ Switzerland ☐ Germany ☐ Norway ☐ Portugal ☐ Spain
Lowest natural disaster risk:
☐ Malta ☐ Iceland ☐ Sweden ☐ Norway ☐ Finland ☐ Estonia ☐ Switzerland ☐ Luxembourg ☐ France ☐ Denmark ☐ Germany ☐ Canada ☐ Spain ☐ Belgium ☐ Poland ☐ Austria ☐ Portugal ☐ UK ☐ USA
Best climate all year long:
☐ Canary Islands (the Spanish “islands of eternal spring”) ☐ Madeira & Porto Santo (Portuguese islands)
Best for comfortable retirement:
☐ New Zealand ☐ Australia ☐ Switzerland ☐ Spain ☐ Luxembourg ☐ Canada ☐ Portugal ☐ Netherlands ☐ Italy ☐ Denmark
Best places to be born:
☐ Australia ☐ Austria ☐ Canada ☐ Denmark ☐ Netherlands ☐ New Zealand ☐ Norway ☐ Sweden
Most economic equality:
☐ Austria ☐ Australia ☐ Belgium ☐ Canada ☐ Germany ☐ Greece ☐ Iceland ☐ Macedonia ☐ Netherlands ☐ Poland ☐ Sweden ☐ Switzerland
Least corruption:
☐ Canada ☐ Denmark ☐ Finland ☐ Germany ☐ Iceland ☐ Netherlands ☐ New Zealand ☐ Norway ☐ UK ☐ Sweden ☐ Switzerland ☐ (Uruguay)
Most freedom of press:
☐ Canada ☐ Finland ☐ Germany ☐ Iceland ☐ Ireland ☐ Netherlands ☐ New Zealand ☐ Norway ☐ Sweden
Most democratic:
☐ Australia ☐ Canada ☐ Finland ☐ Ireland ☐ Netherlands ☐ New Zealand ☐ Norway ☐ Spain ☐ Sweden ☐ Switzerland
Best gay rights:
☐ Argentina ☐ Belgium ☐ Denmark ☐ France ☐ Iceland ☐ Netherlands ☐ New Zealand ☐ Norway ☐ Portugal ☐ Spain ☐ Sweden
Healthiest population:
☐ Spain ☐ Italy ☐ Iceland ☐ Japan ☐ Switzerland ☐ Sweden ☐ Australia ☐ Singapore ☐ Norway ☐ Israel ☐ France ☐ Austria ☐ Finland ☐ Netherlands ☐ Canada
Best developed public health care:
☐ France ☐ Canada ☐ Denmark ☐ Sweden ☐ Norway ☐ Germany ☐ UK ☐ Australia ☐ Netherlands ☐ Switzerland (see more: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world)
Cleanest air:
☐ Finland ☐ Estonia ☐ Sweden ☐ Norway ☐ New Zealand ☐ Canada ☐ Ecuador ☐ Portugal ☐ Denmark
Free from tropical diseases:
☐ Canada ☐ Scandinavia ☐ Northern Europe ☐ Northern USA.
The hotter the country (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, France, Croatia, California, Florida, Central & Latin America, etc.), the more chance of Dengue, Chikungunya, Leishmaniasis, West Nile Fever, and similar diseases spread by mosquitos, sandflies, and other tiny beings.
Least forest fires (in Europe):
☐ Austria ☐ Belgium ☐ Czech Republic ☐ Estonia ☐ Germany ☐ Finland ☐ Iceland ☐ Ireland ☐ Netherlands ☐ Norway ☐ Switzerland ☐ UK
Of course the hot & dry countries (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Southern France, Australia, etc.) have most wild fire risk. But even Sweden & Siberia had problems recently…
Highest longevity (“Blue Zones”):
☐ Acciaroli & Campodimele & Cilento & Pioppi (Italy) ☐ Andorra ☐ Loma Linda (California) ☐ Monaco ☐ Nagano & Ogimi & Yuzurihara (Japan) ☐ Nicoya (Costa Rica) ☐ Northern mountain villages of Ikaria (Greece) ☐ Ogliastra/Nuoro region of Sardinia (Italy) ☐ Tsimane (Bolivia) ☐ Vilcabamba (Ecuador) ☐ Öland & South Småland & North-East Skåne (Sweden)
Most environmentally friendly:
☐ Denmark ☐ Luxembourg ☐ Switzerland ☐ UK ☐ France ☐ Austria ☐ Findland ☐ Sweden ☐ Norway ☐ Germany
Least light pollution:
☐ Scandinavia (Finland, Norway, Sweden) ☐ Canada ☐ Austria ☐ Spain ☐ El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera (Spanish Canary Islands)
Best quality of life:
☐ Canada ☐ Denmark ☐ Sweden ☐ Norway ☐ Australia ☐ Netherlands ☐ Switzerland ☐ New Zealand ☐ Finland ☐ Germany ☐ Austria
Best to be a mother:
☐ Austria ☐ Canada ☐ Belgium ☐ ☐ Czechia ☐ Finland ☐ Germany ☐ Greece ☐ Ireland ☐ Italy ☐ Netherlands ☐ New Zealand ☐ Portugal ☐ Spain ☐ Sweden ☐ Switzerland ☐ UK
Least child poverty:
☐ Austria ☐ Finland ☐ France ☐ Germany ☐ Iceland ☐ Ireland ☐ Norway ☐ Sweden ☐ Switzerland ☐ Chechia
Most religious freedom:
☐ Netherlands ☐ Canada ☐ Norway ☐ Australia ☐ US ☐ UK ☐ Belgium ☐ Denmark ☐ New Zealand ☐ Sweden
Most positive of staying in the European Union:
☐ Denmark ☐ Germany ☐ Ireland ☐ Luxembourg ☐ Netherlands ☐ Spain ☐ Sweden
Happiest:
☐ Finland ☐ Austria ☐ Australia ☐ Canada ☐ Denmark ☐ Iceland ☐ Netherlands ☐ New Zealand ☐ Norway ☐ Sweden ☐ Switzerland.
Lowest depression rates:
☐ Lowest in smaller countries: Gibraltar, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra, Malta, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lativa, Uruguay, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovakia. (Top consumers of antidepressants: Iceland, Canada, Australia, UK, Portugal, Sweden. Interesting that some of these also are called the happiest countries…).
Higest median wealth per adult:
☐ Australia ☐ Canada ☐ Denmark ☐ France ☐ Germany ☐ Japan ☐ Netherlands ☐ Norway
Most trusted government (by own people):
☐ Switzerland ☐ Luxembourg ☐ Norway ☐ Canada ☐ New Zealand ☐ Ireland ☐ Netherlands ☐ Germany ☐ Sweden ☐ Denmark ☐ Australia
Safest road traffic:
☐ Norway ☐ Sweden ☐ Switzerland ☐ UK ☐ Denmark ☐ Ireland ☐ Estonia ☐ Netherlands ☐ Germany ☐ Iceland ☐ Ireland ☐ Spain
Best & most biking lanes:
☐ Netherlands ☐ Denmark ☐ Germany ☐ Belgium
Safest banks:
☐ Finland ☐ Germany ☐ Switzerland ☐ Netherlands ☐ Luxembourg ☐ France ☐ Sweden ☐ Canada
Fastest internet:
☐ Romania ☐ Netherlands ☐ Sweden ☐ Denmark ☐ Luxembourg. (Much slower & more unstable in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, etc.).
Lowest cost of living:
1. Bosnia/Herzegovina 2. Montenegro 3. Czechia 4. Slovakia 5. Uruguay 6. Portugal 7. Estonia 8. Spain 9. Croatia 10. UK 11. Germany 12. Italy 13. Malta 14. Austria 15. New Zealand 16. Sweden 17. USA 18. Finland 19. Finland 20. Belgium 21. Netherlands 22. Australia 23. France 24. Ireland 25. Luxembourg, 26. Denmark 27. Iceland 28. Norway 29. Switzerland.
Best crop yield growth:
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2296