Destinations in Asia have figured prominently in the latest survey of the best countries for a good life overseas.
Panama led the overall list, ahead of Colombia and Mexico. Six Asian countries made the top ten, with Thailand (4th overall) rated the world’s second-happiest destination for expats.
The 12th Expat Insider Survey – published by InterNations, an expat community with more than 5.5 million members worldwide – rated expat life in 46 countries, based on five indices: quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, personal finance, and the expat essentials index, which includes housing, administration (such as visas), language and digital life.
China (6th) and Malaysia (10th) are the only new arrivals in the top 10 in 2025. Together with Thailand, Vietnam (5th) and Indonesia (8th), Asian countries dominate half of the list.
In Thailand, happiness was achieved by the ease of finding housing, great leisure options and a comfortable cost of living.
Vietnam ranked first for its affordability and ease of finding housing.
China made the top 10 overall thanks to a relatively affordable cost of living and good access to leisure options.
Indonesia ranked high for friendly locals, the ease of settling in and affordability.
Malaysia ranked third on the expat essentials index because housing is easy to find and English is widely spoken.
One thing that all expats in Asia loved: the food. Culinary and dining options, across all five countries, ranked highly.
Surveys' top 10 countries for expat living
Panama
Colombia
Mexico
Thailand
Vietnam
China
United Arab Emirates
Indonesia
Spain
Malaysia