Best Countries for Digital Nomads
South Korea ranks #1 with a composite score of 86.5.
Top 5 Ranked
South Korea
86.5
Kuwait
85.2
Chile
84.6
South Korea
86.5
Kuwait
85.2
Chile
84.6
Overview
The top-ranked countries for digital nomads balance strong internet infrastructure with affordable living costs. European countries with high connectivity and moderate costs perform well, as do parts of Southeast Asia where low costs offset slightly lower infrastructure scores. Countries with universal internet access and low cost of living dominate the top of this ranking.
Global Rankings
| Rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
South Korea
|
86.5 |
| 2 |
Kuwait
|
85.2 |
| 3 |
Chile
|
84.6 |
| 4 |
Georgia
|
84.3 |
| 5 |
Oman
|
83.7 |
| 6 |
Bahrain
|
83.4 |
| 7 |
Saudi Arabia
|
83.3 |
| 8 |
Ukraine
|
83.2 |
| 9 |
Malaysia
|
83.0 |
| 10 |
Estonia
|
82.4 |
| 11 |
Spain
|
82.3 |
| 12 |
Belarus
|
81.4 |
| 13 |
Argentina
|
81.1 |
| 14 |
Hungary
|
81.0 |
| 15 |
Azerbaijan
|
80.8 |
| 16 |
Brunei
|
80.7 |
| 17 |
Lithuania
|
80.7 |
| 18 |
Lebanon
|
80.6 |
| 19 |
Jordan
|
80.5 |
| 20 |
Paraguay
|
80.2 |
| 21 |
Macedonia
|
80.0 |
| 22 |
United Arab Emirates
|
79.9 |
| 23 |
Kazakhstan
|
79.8 |
| 24 |
Qatar
|
79.2 |
| 25 |
Thailand
|
79.1 |
| 26 |
Latvia
|
79.0 |
| 27 |
Poland
|
79.0 |
| 28 |
Brazil
|
78.8 |
| 29 |
Cyprus
|
78.7 |
| 30 |
Romania
|
78.5 |
| 31 |
Albania
|
78.0 |
| 32 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
78.0 |
| 33 |
Malta
|
77.7 |
| 34 |
Uruguay
|
77.7 |
| 35 |
Russia
|
77.6 |
| 36 |
Ecuador
|
77.3 |
| 37 |
Greece
|
77.2 |
| 38 |
Montenegro
|
77.0 |
| 39 |
Portugal
|
76.7 |
| 40 |
Costa Rica
|
76.5 |
| 41 |
China
|
76.5 |
| 42 |
Dominican Republic
|
76.0 |
| 43 |
Vietnam
|
75.6 |
| 44 |
Serbia
|
75.6 |
| 45 |
Venezuela
|
75.4 |
| 46 |
Colombia
|
75.2 |
| 47 |
Italy
|
75.0 |
| 48 |
Turkey
|
75.0 |
| 49 |
Armenia
|
74.9 |
| 50 |
Bulgaria
|
74.8 |
| 51 |
Croatia
|
74.8 |
| 52 |
Sri Lanka
|
74.2 |
| 53 |
Tunisia
|
74.1 |
| 54 |
Puerto Rico
|
73.6 |
| 55 |
Moldova
|
73.1 |
| 56 |
Algeria
|
72.9 |
| 57 |
Morocco
|
72.9 |
| 58 |
Iran
|
72.7 |
| 59 |
Mexico
|
70.8 |
| 60 |
Panama
|
70.4 |
| 61 |
Mauritius
|
70.2 |
| 62 |
Indonesia
|
70.2 |
| 63 |
Peru
|
69.4 |
| 64 |
Egypt
|
68.7 |
| 65 |
Uzbekistan
|
67.7 |
| 66 |
Kyrgyzstan
|
67.0 |
| 67 |
South Africa
|
65.9 |
| 68 |
Ghana
|
65.4 |
| 69 |
Philippines
|
63.9 |
| 70 |
Singapore
|
60.8 |
| 71 |
Nepal
|
60.2 |
| 72 |
Cambodia
|
60.1 |
| 73 |
Bangladesh
|
58.3 |
| 74 |
Guatemala
|
57.8 |
| 75 |
India
|
56.5 |
| 76 |
Iraq
|
52.7 |
| 77 |
Kenya
|
52.1 |
| 78 |
Cameroon
|
47.8 |
| 79 |
Nigeria
|
46.1 |
| 80 |
Pakistan
|
43.4 |
How We Score Countries for Digital Nomads
The composite score weights cost of living most heavily at 35% because affordability is a primary concern for location-independent workers. Internet access receives 30% weight as the essential tool for remote work. Life expectancy (20%) serves as a proxy for overall quality of life and healthcare, while literacy rate (15%) indicates development level and infrastructure quality. Countries must have data for all four metrics to be included.
Metric Weights
Source: CIA World Factbook, World Bank. Rankings are based on the most recent data available. Countries must have data for all metrics to be included.
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