Denmark Crowned the Safest Country in the World for Expats

People all over the world consider uprooting their lives and seeking out a fresh start in another country. There reasons for moving overseas are many and varied, with the most common drivers being enticing job offers and better education systems, but one factor that plays a major role in any decision is safety. For some it is itself a motivator – those who wish to escape a conflict or political instability, for example – but for everyone looking to make that monumental move it is a critical consideration. We at MoneyTransfers.com have analysed a range of different metrics to ascertain which countries are the safest for expats, and, on the other side of the coin, which are the most dangerous.

1. Denmark

Denmark takes the top spot as the safest country in the world for expats, and there are lots of benefits to starting afresh in this Scandinavian country. UNESCO rates Denmark as the third most peaceful country in the world and people across the globe are cottoning on to the benefits of hygge and the quiet contentment that comes with the Danish way of life. Danes take quality of life seriously, spending 10.1% of their GDP on health care, which is well above the European average and no doubt why the small country is rated 5th in the world for its healthcare. The Danish economy is also one of the strongest in the world, with the country taking 10th place for the economic freedom of its citizens.

2. Austria

Another European country takes our second spot; in fact the top 10 is made up exclusively of Northern European nations. Austria is known for its high education and healthcare standards, ranked at number eight on the world healthcare index. Public health insurance is mandatory in Austria and expats will find that they’re automatically covered when starting a role in the country. The Global Peace Index ranks Austria as the 6th most peaceful country in the world, with its policy on neutrality enshrined in its constitution.

3. Netherlands

The Netherlands is known for its liberal attitudes towards everything from drugs to euthanasia, and with over 90% of its citizens supporting gay marriage it is also one of the most tolerant nations in the world. The Dutch economy is the 8th most-free in the world and the country’s health care ranks at number nine on the health care index, with health insurance mandatory for all citizens.

4. Czech Republic

Situated right in the heart of Europe, the Czech Republic benefits from an enviable location bordering Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. This makes weekend trips into Europe a doddle, but with over 2,000 castles and keeps you’ll likely be happy to explore closer to home. The Czech Republic ranks as the 9th most peaceful nation on UNESCO’s Global Peace Index and with a very low cost of living the country boasts one of the lowest poverty ratios in the world, ranking in 7th position.

5. Finland

At 10.8%, Finland has the 9th lowest poverty ratio in the world. Much of this owes itself to the good nature of Finns, who repose a great deal of trust in their fellow countrymen and are willing to pay high taxes into the nation’s welfare system. A recent study showed that 80% of Finns trust other Finns, which is higher than any other country in Europe. Finland also has the 10th best health care system in the world, which expats can use after applying for a kola card. Although for minor ailments most Finns will recommend that classic Finnish institution – the sauna!

Jonathan Merry, CEO of MoneyTransfers.com, was not surprised to see the top ten made up exclusively of European nations:

Europe is widely considered to be the safest continent in the world, and indeed when it comes to the Global Peace Index 14 out of the top 20 destinations are situated within Europe. In contrast, the United States ranks at 129th place, receiving a lower score than the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe and Egypt. One of the main reasons that Europe achieves such a high score is because of its tough gun laws.

Jonathan Merry, CEO of MoneyTransfers.com

These destinations are ideal for expats looking to guarantee a safe experience, but there are others that expats may wish to avoid, as they promise an altogether more different experience. These are the most dangerous countries for expats:

1. Colombia

Colombia is ranked as the country with the second highest poverty ratio in the world, with a 42.5% gap between its richest and poorest citizens. The South American country also ranks particularly poorly for political stability, with 8 million Colombians displaced by conflict-related violence since 1985. Landmines are an on-going issue and expats should avoid going out after dark.

2. Argentina

Many expats find that the hardest thing about living in Argentina is the unstable economy and the bureaucracy. There are plenty of rules that expats must abide by which just don’t make sense. Argentina has the third highest poverty ratio in the world at 42%, and there is increased gang violence in Rosario due to its prominent location along a major drug-trafficking route.

3. Mexico

Statistically Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America, and as only 5% of Mexicans speak English, non-Spanish speakers may be tempted to look elsewhere. Violence is a serious problem in Mexico, with 2022 seeing an alarming 30,968 homicides. While this represents a 7% fall against the prior year, it is nonetheless one of the highest in the world and there is a risk of expats being caught up in the violence. At 43.9%, Mexico has the highest poverty ratio in the world, which represents the size of the gap between its richest and poorest citizens.

4. Ecuador

There are plenty of places that expats should avoid in Ecuador, with particular mention going to the 20 km exclusion zone around the Colombian border and the city of Guayaquil. In rural areas there is also a risk of rabies and few hospitals around. At 26.3% Ecuador has a particularly low ranking in the Global Cybersecurity Index, this is despite having specific legislation in place to tackle cybercrime through its penal code.

5. Peru

At 67.6%, Peru has a particularly poor ranking in the Crime Index, with the 11th highest crime rate in the world. Expats are often targeted as visitors are seen as wealthy, with theft, mugging and pickpocketing being common in crowded areas. Corruption within the police can make it impossible to receive a positive outcome.

While the countries at the bottom of our rankings all have some significant drawbacks when it comes to safety, it’s important to recognise that the majority of stays are hassle-free, and expats who stay aware of the risks and exercise caution can avoid running into trouble. Every nation has its good and its bad, and even in our most dangerous location, Colombia, expats are keen to extol the virtues of this vibrant country, including the low cost of living, the pristine nature and the amazing cultural experiences.

Methodology

To rank the countries, we started with the 55 that had submitted their poverty ratio to the World Bank in 2020. (The 2021 data set only features 17 countries so cannot be deemed to be as reliable an indicator.)

We then gathered in a further six metrics for each of the 55 countries. At this stage any countries which could not supply data across all the measured metrics were eliminated.

China was also excluded at this stage; despite having data for all seven metrics, the methodology used for gathering that data was highly inconsistent, with some including Hong Kong and Taiwan as regions of China, and others not. We therefore chose to avoid the findings for this country.

Similarly, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus were excluded from our study as their political landscapes have changed so drastically that we deemed the available data to be unreliable.

Any rankings which were amongst the top ten countries in the world for that metric we coloured green, and any which featured in the bottom ten countries we coloured red.

With the remaining data, we ranked the countries from 1 to 24 across each of the subgroups, paying particular attention to the top ten and bottom ten countries in each grouping.

While the majority of countries had placed in the top ten rankings for certain areas, and the bottom ten for others, the data highlighted three countries that had only appeared within the top ten rankings: Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark. Denmark and Austria had both featured six out of a possible seven times, so to determine the overall winner we looked at the number of green coding entries (i.e. how many times the country had featured in the top ten countries in the world for a particular metric).

Our analysis also identified six countries that only featured in the bottom ten rankings. These were again ranked by the number of times that they had appeared in the bottom ten, and then on their attributes.

We were left with a number of countries that featured in both the bottom ten and the top ten lists. To determine their positions in the rankings we subtracted the number of times that they had appeared in the negative list from the number of times that they had appeared in the positive list. As an example, France featured in the positive list twice but in the negative list three times, so had an overall ranking of -1. Any countries that shared a ranking had its score further determined by its overall attributes.

Sources:

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/poverty_ratio/

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/economic_freedom/

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_by_country.jsp

https://www.unesco.org/en/world-media-trends/global-peace-index

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/wb_political_stability/

https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/rankings_by_country.jsp

https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Cybersecurity/Pages/global-cybersecurity-index.aspx