When you move to a new country, one quiet question shapes everything: will you fit in? In some places being a foreigner is completely normal and barely noticed; in others you will always feel a little outside. This guide ranks all 27 EU countries on how diverse and welcoming they are to newcomers.
What makes a country easy to belong in
- Diversity: a population already used to many cultures and languages.
- An expat community: people who have done the same move and can show you the ropes.
- Open attitudes: a culture where outsiders are welcomed rather than just tolerated.
All 27 EU countries by how welcoming they are
Here is where MoveMap’s model rates each EU country on a mix of diversity and expat community, most welcoming first (illustrative scores only):
| Country | Multicultural* | Expat community* |
|---|---|---|
| Luxembourg | 88 | 90 |
| Netherlands | 85 | 88 |
| Ireland | 82 | 85 |
| Malta | 78 | 85 |
| Belgium | 80 | 80 |
| Germany | 80 | 80 |
| Spain | 75 | 85 |
| Sweden | 80 | 80 |
| France | 78 | 80 |
| Portugal | 70 | 88 |
| Cyprus | 70 | 82 |
| Denmark | 70 | 80 |
| Italy | 62 | 72 |
| Austria | 62 | 70 |
| Czechia | 58 | 72 |
| Poland | 55 | 75 |
| Greece | 58 | 70 |
| Finland | 60 | 65 |
| Estonia | 55 | 65 |
| Slovenia | 58 | 62 |
| Croatia | 50 | 65 |
| Latvia | 55 | 60 |
| Hungary | 48 | 65 |
| Lithuania | 52 | 60 |
| Romania | 50 | 60 |
| Slovakia | 50 | 60 |
| Bulgaria | 45 | 58 |
Big cities open faster than small towns
Diversity clusters in capitals and large cities, where international communities and English-speaking life are easy to find. Smaller towns can feel more close-knit and harder to break into, even in otherwise open countries, so where you settle matters as much as the country you choose.
Match it to how you want to land
Some people want a ready-made international community; others want to dive into local life. The MoveMap check weighs community and culture alongside everything else to rank all 27 EU countries for you.