Best countries, ranked by the data
Every ranking here is computed from the same engines as the site's free tools — no editorial top tens, no affiliate ordering. Each answers one question, says plainly how it was worked out, and links to the country pages behind every figure so you can check them.
A ranking is a shortlist, not a decision. Where you land depends on your income, your household and which of these factors you actually care about — which is what the tools are for.
- Where is the weather actually pleasant to work from?
The cities with the most comfortable days a year — a daily maximum between 18 and 27 °C with almost no rain — measured from ten years of reanalysis data rather than crowdsourced impressions.
- Where do you get the most pleasant days for your money?
Monthly living cost divided by the days a year you would actually want to be outside — joining measured climate to modelled cost, which no free source does.
- Which countries are least exposed to disaster?
The countries scoring lowest on the European Commission's INFORM Risk index — hazard exposure, population vulnerability, and whether institutions could actually cope.
- Which countries get the most public holidays?
Nationwide public holidays per year, counted from open holiday data — with regional days counted separately so countries that publish their regions are not flattered.
- Where does a hire cost the employer least on top of salary?
Employer social security contributions as a share of gross pay, from OECD Taxing Wages — the loading an employer budgets on top of the wage, ranked lowest first.
- Where does the law give mothers the longest paid leave?
Paid leave available to mothers in calendar days, from World Bank Women, Business and the Law — what the statute provides, with fathers' leave beside it.
- Where does money hold its value best?
Consumer-price inflation, latest annual figure from the World Bank — the countries where a fixed income or a savings balance loses least each year.
- Where is the statutory corporate tax rate lowest?
Combined statutory corporate income-tax rates from OECD Corporate Tax Statistics — central plus average sub-national — across 41 countries, lowest first.
- Where is the standard VAT or GST rate lowest?
Standard VAT and GST rates read from each national tax authority's own page, lowest first — with the countries that have no single national rate left out and said so.
- Where does the state guarantee the most of your savings?
Statutory deposit-guarantee limits per depositor per bank, read from each scheme or regulator and converted to US dollars for comparison — highest first.
- Where has money moved between banks in seconds the longest?
The year each country's earliest fast payment system went live, from the World Bank's Project FASTT tracker — longest-running first.
- Where are intentional killings rarest?
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people, UNODC figures via the World Bank, newest year at the current vintage — lowest first, each with its year.
- Where does the state pension replace most of a wage?
Net pension replacement rate for a full-career average earner under mandatory schemes, from OECD Pensions at a Glance — highest first, OECD members and G20 partners.
- Where does a £1,500 pension cover the most?
A fixed £1,500 monthly pension against each country's modelled essentials — food, housing, transport and utilities — ranked by how many months it covers.
- Where is a company's investment taxed least?
OECD's effective average corporate tax rate on a standard investment — the statutory rate after allowances and incentives — lowest first, across the countries OECD models.
- Where can a local owner register a company fastest?
Calendar days to complete the whole company-entry process for a domestic limited company, from World Bank B-READY's expert answers — fewest first, across the countries in the current cohort.
- Where are there most doctors per 10,000 people?
Medical doctors per 10,000 population from the WHO Global Health Observatory, newest observation at the site's vintage floor — most first.
- Where does full-time childcare take least of a couple's income?
Net cost of full-time centre-based childcare for two children as a share of a couple's disposable income, from OECD's tax-benefit model — cheapest first, OECD members only.
- Where does eating well cost least?
The World Bank's measured cost of a healthy diet per person per day, from local retail prices — cheapest first, in US dollars.
- Where does sending money home cost least?
Mean cost of a $200 transfer across each sending country's surveyed corridors, from the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide — fee plus exchange-rate margin.
- Where does a $100k remote salary go furthest?
The 15 countries where a $100,000 remote salary leaves you the most each month after rent, everyday prices, out-of-pocket healthcare and income tax.
- Where does a $50k remote salary go furthest?
The 15 countries where a $50,000 remote salary leaves the most each month once rent, prices, healthcare and tax are taken off.
- Which countries cost least to live in?
The 15 cheapest countries to live in per month — rent, everyday prices and out-of-pocket healthcare added up, not an index.
- Where would you pay the least tax on a remote salary?
Effective income tax plus employee social contributions on a $100,000 remote salary, lowest first, across the countries this site holds tax rules for.
- Where is rent cheapest?
Monthly rent for a one-bedroom flat across 41 countries, cheapest first, from measured city rents where they exist and a modelled figure where they do not.
- Where do you pay least for healthcare?
Out-of-pocket healthcare spending per person per year, lowest first — what people actually pay themselves, not what the system costs.
- Where can you actually see a doctor?
Physicians per 1,000 people, highest first — access rather than price, since a cheap system with no doctors is not cheap healthcare.
- Which countries are safest to live in?
Safety scores across the countries this site covers, highest first, from published crime and security indicators.
- Where is the internet fast enough to work on?
Median fixed broadband download speeds by country, fastest first — the one infrastructure figure a remote job actually depends on.
- Where is the air cleanest?
Air quality scores by country, best first — the livability factor most likely to affect you every single day.
- Where can you get by in English?
English proficiency by country, highest first — how far you can get day to day without the local language.
- Which nomad visas actually lead somewhere?
Digital-nomad visas that can lead to permanent residency, with the monthly income each requires — the ones worth planning around rather than merely visiting on.
- Which nomad visas have the lowest income bar?
Digital-nomad visas ranked by the monthly income they require, lowest first — the ones within reach on an ordinary remote salary.
- Where do women earn least against men for the same kind of work?
Measured gender pay gaps by country, from earnings actually reported to the ILO rather than modelled — the shortfall of women's median monthly pay against men's, across all occupations.