Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Panama Named World's Best Country for Expats Third Year Running
Sometimes people move to live in a different country, and they are called expats.
A big group called InterNations asked expats how they feel about life in their new home.
Their answers were used to make a list of the best and worst countries for expats.
Panama, a country in Central America, was named the best country in the world for expats.
This is the third year in a row that Panama has won the top spot.
Mexico came second, and Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil followed.
Expats in Thailand were the happiest, with many saying they want to stay there forever.
Norway was named the loneliest country for expats, and Germany and Turkey also ranked very low.
The survey was carried out in early 2026 and does not include changes that happened after the US-Iran war.
Panama was named the world's best country for expats for the third year in a row in InterNations' 2026 Expat Insider survey.
Mexico came second, followed by Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil in the ranking of 31 countries.
Thailand was home to the world's happiest expats, with 86 per cent happy with their life abroad.
Norway was voted the world's loneliest country, while Germany and Turkey rounded out the three worst-ranked nations.
The survey ran from 1 February to 31 March 2026 and did not take into account changes following the US-Iran war.
- Who
- InterNations, the world's largest community for expats, surveyed expats across multiple countries.
- What
- Panama was named the world's best country for expats for the third year in a row, while Norway was voted the worst in the 2026 Expat Insider survey.
- When
- The survey was conducted from 1 February to 31 March 2026.
- Where
- The ranking covered 31 countries, with Panama leading ahead of Mexico, Thailand, the UAE and Brazil, and Norway, Germany and Turkey at the bottom.
- Why
- Panama topped the Working Abroad and Personal Finance Indices, while low-ranked countries struggled with factors such as loneliness, bureaucracy, language barriers and financial strain.
- Survey
- 2026 Expat Insider by InterNations
- Best country for expats
- Panama (third consecutive year)
- Worst country for expats
- Norway
- Survey period
- 1 February - 31 March 2026
- Countries ranked
- 31
- Expats happy in Panama
- 87%
- Expats happy in Thailand
- 86% (vs 70% globally)
- Middle-ranking countries
- Belgium 15th, United States of America 20th