Unearth The Voyage
Some countries are known for their food, their landscapes, or their history. But a rare few are known for something that money can’t buy: genuinely kind people.
The 2025 expat survey ranked countries by how friendly locals are to newcomers, and the results are pretty amazing. Pack your bags, because these 15 destinations will make you feel right at home the moment you arrive.
Indonesia
Indonesia just claimed the top spot in the 2025 expat friendliness survey, and honestly, it makes total sense. I once read a traveler’s account where a stranger in Bali invited them to a family ceremony within hours of meeting.
That kind of openness is not a lucky accident here.
Locals across the archipelago are known for going out of their way to help visitors, whether that means giving directions, sharing food, or simply offering a warm smile. With over 17,000 islands and hundreds of distinct cultures, the one thing that ties Indonesia together is an extraordinary sense of community hospitality.
Expats consistently rate Indonesian locals as some of the most welcoming people they have ever encountered anywhere in the world. Strangers quickly feel like neighbors, which is a rare and genuinely beautiful thing to experience while living abroad.
Colombia
Colombia ranked second in the 2025 expat friendliness survey, and the country has been quietly rewriting its global reputation for years. The warmth here is not just polite small talk.
It runs deep, showing up in the way strangers offer help before you even ask.
Colombian culture places enormous value on human connection. Locals are famously expressive, generous with their time, and genuinely curious about the people they meet.
Expats often say that making friends in Colombia feels surprisingly easy compared to other countries.
One fun detail: Colombians use the word “parcero” to mean close friend, but locals tend to treat newcomers like parceros almost immediately. That attitude makes daily life feel warm and social rather than isolating.
If you are moving abroad and want a place where community comes naturally, Colombia should be at the very top of your shortlist.
Mexico
Mexico lands at number three, and its reputation for legendary hospitality is absolutely earned. The concept of “hospitalidad” is practically a cultural institution here.
Locals treat guests with a level of care that can genuinely catch first-time visitors off guard.
Beyond friendliness, Mexico also scores extremely well in the “settling in” category of the 2025 expat survey, meaning newcomers find it relatively easy to build a life and feel at home quickly. That combination of warmth and practical ease makes it a top choice for expats worldwide.
Street food vendors who remember your order, neighbors who bring over tamales on a Tuesday, shop owners who spend twenty minutes helping you find something they do not even sell. These small moments add up fast.
Mexico does not just welcome you. It pulls up a chair, sets a plate in front of you, and insists you stay a little longer.
Philippines
Smiles come standard in the Philippines, and the country’s fourth-place ranking in the 2025 survey is no surprise to anyone who has spent time there. Filipinos are widely considered among the most people-forward communities on the planet, and that reputation is backed up by real expat experiences year after year.
The culture here revolves around “bayanihan,” a tradition of communal unity and helping neighbors without expecting anything in return. It is not a buzzword.
It is a lived practice you will notice in small towns and big cities alike.
English is widely spoken, which lowers the barrier for newcomers considerably. But honestly, even the language barrier dissolves fast when someone is laughing with you and waving you into their home.
Expats frequently describe the Philippines as a place where loneliness is hard to maintain because someone always seems genuinely happy to see you.
Brazil
Big-hearted energy is basically Brazil’s national export. Coming in at number five in the 2025 expat survey, Brazil earns its spot through the sheer enthusiasm locals bring to everyday human interaction.
Brazilians are famously tactile, expressive, and almost allergically opposed to awkward silences.
Social life in Brazil moves at a pace that pulls newcomers in quickly. Neighborhood barbecues, impromptu football games, and family gatherings that somehow include people nobody has officially met before.
That open-door attitude is not reserved for special occasions. It is just Tuesday.
Expats often say that Brazilians have a gift for making people feel genuinely included rather than tolerated. The Portuguese word “saudade” gets all the attention, but “acolhimento,” meaning warmth and welcome, might be the more accurate description of daily life here.
Brazil does not just rank high for friendliness. It practically invented a lifestyle around it.
Panama
Panama punches well above its weight in the friendliness department. Ranked sixth in the 2025 expat survey, this small Central American country pairs genuine warmth with a surprisingly smooth social experience for newcomers.
Conversations here start easily and connections form fast.
One thing that sets Panama apart is its long history as a crossroads country. People here are genuinely used to meeting folks from all over the world, which makes locals naturally open and curious rather than guarded.
That global mindset filters into everyday interactions in a really refreshing way.
Panama City has a booming expat community, but even in smaller towns, locals tend to welcome outsiders with real interest rather than polite indifference. Add in a stable economy, year-round warm weather, and relatively low cost of living, and you start to understand why so many expats are not just visiting Panama.
They are staying.
Oman
Oman is the quiet overachiever of this list. Ranked seventh in the 2025 expat survey, it stands out as one of the most polite, generous, and genuinely kind countries in the entire study.
If you have never considered Oman as a destination, this ranking might just change your mind.
Omani hospitality has deep cultural roots. Offering coffee, dates, and a warm welcome to guests is not a formality here.
It is a point of personal pride. Locals are known for being calm, respectful, and thoughtful in their interactions, which creates an atmosphere that feels safe and genuinely welcoming.
Expats in Oman frequently highlight how different the experience feels compared to other Gulf countries. There is less of a transactional edge to daily interactions and more of a genuine human quality.
Oman does not shout about its friendliness. It simply shows it, quietly and consistently, every single day.
Thailand
Thailand’s nickname “The Land of Smiles” is not just a tourism slogan someone invented in a boardroom. It reflects something real about daily life here.
Ranking eighth in the 2025 expat survey, Thailand holds its place firmly among the top-tier destinations for local friendliness, and it has been doing so for years.
Thai culture places high value on “sanuk,” the idea that life should be fun and pleasant. That philosophy shapes how locals interact with strangers.
There is a lightness to social exchanges in Thailand that feels genuinely inviting rather than performative.
Street food vendors greet regulars and first-timers with equal enthusiasm. Temple volunteers offer guidance without being asked.
Neighbors show up with fruit. For expats, this steady stream of small kindnesses accumulates into something that feels a lot like belonging.
Thailand does not just welcome visitors. It has a cultural framework built around making people feel good.
Kenya
Kenya lands at number nine with a reputation for hospitality that shows up in the details of daily life. Expats consistently rate Kenyan locals as friendly both in general and specifically toward foreigners, which is a distinction worth noting.
Not every country manages both equally well.
The Swahili concept of “Karibu,” which simply means “welcome,” is used constantly and genuinely. It is not a word people say on autopilot.
In Kenya, it carries real meaning. Locals take pride in making guests feel seen and valued, whether in a city apartment block or a rural village.
Nairobi has a surprisingly vibrant and social expat scene, but the warmth extends well beyond the capital. Community ties are strong across the country, and that sense of collective care tends to include newcomers fairly quickly.
Kenya is proof that genuine hospitality does not require luxury. It just requires people who mean it.
Vietnam
Vietnam rounds out the top ten in the 2025 expat survey, and the country’s rise in global friendliness rankings has been one of the more pleasant surprises in recent travel culture. Expats describe a strong sense of real community here, not just surface-level politeness.
Vietnamese culture has a deep emphasis on collective life and neighborly bonds. Those values extend naturally to newcomers who show genuine interest in local customs.
A little curiosity goes a long way here. Locals tend to respond to respectful interest with extraordinary generosity.
The street food culture alone creates constant opportunities for friendly interaction. Morning pho vendors who remember how you like your broth, market sellers who teach you the Vietnamese names for vegetables, motorbike taxi drivers who double as unofficial tour guides.
Vietnam is a country where daily life itself becomes a social experience. The friendly vibes are not a feature.
They are the whole point.
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The UAE might seem like an unlikely entry on a friendliness list, given how cosmopolitan and fast-paced it is. But ranking eleventh in the 2025 expat survey, the country proves that warmth and global ambition are not mutually exclusive.
Expats report notably friendly interactions even in one of the world’s most international environments.
What makes the UAE interesting is that the population is overwhelmingly made up of expats themselves. That shared outsider experience creates an unexpected social glue.
People here are generally open to meeting new faces because nearly everyone arrived from somewhere else not too long ago.
Emirati locals, while a minority in their own country, are widely described as gracious and welcoming toward foreign residents. The cultural emphasis on generosity and respect for guests is deeply embedded in Gulf tradition.
In the UAE, that tradition meets a modern global city, and the result is a surprisingly warm place to land.
Greece
In Greece, “come in” is not a polite suggestion. It is a genuine instruction, and locals will be mildly offended if you do not comply.
Ranking twelfth in the 2025 expat survey, Greece holds a well-deserved place in the top group for how positively expats rate local friendliness.
Greek hospitality has an ancient name: “philoxenia,” which translates roughly as “love of the stranger.” This is not a relic of the past. Walk into almost any village taverna and you will experience it firsthand within about four minutes.
Someone will ask where you are from, offer you something to eat, and genuinely want to know your story.
Life in Greece moves at a pace that encourages human connection. Long lunches, lively conversations, and a cultural aversion to rushing through social interactions make it a place where relationships form naturally.
Greece does not just tolerate newcomers. It philosophically commits to welcoming them.
China
China at number thirteen might raise a few eyebrows, but expats who have actually lived there tend to tell a very different story from the one most people expect. Friendliness that surprises newcomers is practically a theme among long-term foreign residents in Chinese cities and towns alike.
One reason is curiosity. Many locals, especially outside major tourist hubs, are genuinely fascinated by foreigners and happy to engage.
That curiosity often translates into incredibly helpful, warm interactions that leave expats feeling unexpectedly welcomed.
Chinese hospitality also operates through food, which is essentially the country’s primary love language. Being invited to share a meal is a serious gesture of acceptance, and it happens more often than most first-timers anticipate.
The language barrier is real, but locals frequently bridge it with patience and creative communication. China’s ranking here is a reminder that the best travel experiences often contradict your assumptions completely.
Ireland
Quick wit and quicker warmth. That is Ireland in six words.
Landing at number fourteen in the 2025 expat survey, Ireland has been charming strangers since long before rankings existed. The Irish have a gift for conversation that borders on a competitive sport, and newcomers are always welcome to play.
Walking into a pub in Ireland as a stranger is a social experiment with an almost guaranteed positive outcome. Within twenty minutes, you will know the bartender’s name, have a strong opinion about the local football team, and somehow be involved in a debate about something completely unrelated to why you came in.
Beyond the pub culture, Irish communities are genuinely warm in everyday settings too. Neighbors check in.
Locals offer help without being asked. There is a dry humor to Irish interactions that makes even mundane conversations entertaining.
Ireland does not just rank well for friendliness. It makes friendliness look effortless and fun.
Portugal
Portugal closes out this list at number fifteen, and it does so with characteristic understatement. Soft-spoken and sincerely welcoming, Portugal has quietly become one of Europe’s most beloved destinations for expats, and the local friendliness ranking confirms what so many newcomers already know.
The Portuguese are not loud about their warmth. They show it through small, consistent acts.
A patient shopkeeper who helps you navigate the language. A neighbor who brings homemade pastries without explanation.
A stranger who walks you to your destination rather than just pointing.
Lisbon and Porto have seen enormous expat growth in recent years, yet locals have largely responded with patience and genuine openness rather than resentment. That grace under pressure says a lot about the national character.
Portugal rounds out this top fifteen not with fireworks but with something arguably more valuable: the quiet, steady kindness of people who simply mean what they say.
