Curious which countries around the world tend to be most welcoming and friendly to international travelers? Gauging this type of personality trait on such a large scale is no easy task, but Remitly, a digital financial services company, conducted a global study asking people around the world a series of questions from the Big 5 Personality Test, which is considered a standardized personality test.
When conducting the global study to determine the most friendly countries, the team zeroed in on questions pertaining to the respondents’ “agreeableness” personality trait, which is defined by friendly, kind and cooperative characteristics.
South Africa was crowned the friendliest country in the world, according to the analysis released in June 2024. The country draws safari travelers who want to spot the Big 5 (lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos) as well as curious shipwreck scuba divers. South Africa is also known as a top wine region with beaches for relaxation and mountains to summit.
Greece came in second, and the study authors point to the longstanding value of “philoxenia,” which translates to hospitality.
Croatia, Mexico, and Sweden round out the list of top five friendliest countries in the world. The United States ranks No. 15 when it comes to friendliness to travelers.
Those who possess high traits of agreeableness generally display more prosocial behaviors and are often highly empathetic, showing great consideration for others, according to the study authors. Survey participants around the world were asked questions like: “How much concern do you feel for others?,” and “do you like to make others feel at ease?”
The higher the residents of each nation scored in the test, the more ‘agreeable’ they were deemed and the analysts translated the results into a “friendliness score” for each country.
These scores were then used to calculate an average friendliness score for each nation.
“Friendliness is such a crucial trait in life, even more so if you’re moving or traveling to a new country where you might feel nervous or lonely,” said Ollie Cassel, head of growth marketing at Remitly in a statement. “The warmth and conviviality of strangers can make all the difference in helping people feel more welcome and settled.”
Friendliness is one thing, but many countries grapple with welcoming travelers amid concerns of over tourism and its environmental impacts. As the summer travel season heats up, many popular destinations around the world are taking steps to curb over tourism, from visitor taxes in several European cities, to a black screen in Fujikawaguchiko, Japan to block views of Mount Fuji, to fake jellyfish warning signs in Mallorca to deter English-speaking travelers.
Last summer, views of the U.S. were trending more positive than negative across countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center. Pew reported that a 23-nation median of 59% had favorable views of the U.S., while 30% had unfavorable opinions. Hungary was the only country surveyed that skewed negative on its views of the U.S., with 51% having an unfavorable opinion.
Most Friendly Countries In The World For Tourists
1. South Africa
2. Greece
3. Croatia
4. Mexico
5. Sweden
6. Australia
7. Canada
8. Germany
9. Estonia
10. Belgium
11. Spain
12. Czech Republic
13. Italy
14. Japan
15. United States
16. Netherlands
17. Portugal
18. United Kingdom
19. Poland
20. Switzerland