Australia tops the chart of most-liked countries for international workers according to the latest survey. The US remained at the number 2 position. Canada this time was granted number 3 followed by the UK at number 4 and Germany at 5. In the survey, 150,735 workforces participated from 188 countries including 51% males and 47% female participants.
Japan and Singapore were the only two countries from Asia as the most admired places in the top 10. On the other hand, only 5 countries are from the EU on the list, which is however not surprising.
Germany is surprisingly the number one choice of people in non-English speaking countries. Thanks to its quality life standards and emerging international workers market. The government of Germany has also indulged in introducing new immigration laws that not only favor foreign workers but will also support the economy and labor market of the countries. Thanks to its opportunity card, a visa initiative without a job offer may bring it into the top 3 positions in the next years.
The chart of the top 10 most desirable countries for international workers changes from time to time. This series of choices is conducted by the website bcg.com where they issue the survey reports of the “Decoding Global Talent” series. The survey was also done in 2014 and 2018 when the US topped the position. In 2020, Canada topped the chart. And this time according to the latest survey of 2023, Australia‘s first time topped the list.
Top 10 List of the Most Desirable Countries
In 2023, the following countries scored the most on the top 10 list for international workers:
| Ranking | Country Name |
| 1 | Australia |
| 2 | US |
| 3 | Canada |
| 4 | UK |
| 5 | Germany |
| 6 | Japan |
| 7 | Switzerland |
| 8 | Singapore |
| 9 | France |
| 10 | Spain |
Accessing criteria
These countries were assessed based on different factors. These are:
- Quality of job opportunities
- Quality of life and climate
- Income tax and cost of living
- Safety stability and security
- Welcoming cultural and inclusiveness
- Family-friendly environment
- Opportunities for citizenship
- Health care
- Innovation and digitalization
- Visa and work permit process
Best countries for visa and work permit processes
In terms of the best countries in the top 10 regarding visa and work permit processes, Canada and Singapore have been rated best. This is followed by Australia and Japan. Germany surprisingly is at the number 5 position by competing well with these English-speaking countries with vast backgrounds of immigrants over the past decades.
| Percentage of respondants | Countries |
| 31 | Canada |
| 31 | Singapore |
| 26 | Australia |
| 25 | Japan |
| 24 | UK |
| 24 | Germany |
| 23 | US |
| 20 | France |
| 20 | Spain |
| 18 | Switzerland |
Best countries for opportunities for Citizenship
Canada is considered the best country in terms of opportunities for citizenship according to the survey respondents. Australia and the US remained at the number 2 position followed by the UK and Germany.
| Percentage of respondants | Countries |
| 46 | Canada |
| 36 | Australia |
| 36 | US |
| 33 | UK |
| 27 | Germany |
| 25 | Singapore |
| 24 | Japan |
| 24 | France |
| 23 | Switzerland |
| 22 | Spain |
Quality of job opportunities
The quality of job opportunities has attracted most people to the US. On the second number is surprisingly German which is becoming an aspiring country for immigrants in the future. Asian country Singapore grabbed the 4th position for this category which is astonishing as the country is really small in comparison with the UK, Australia, and the US.
| Percentage of respondants | Countries |
| 77 | US |
| 74 | Germany |
| 74 | Singapore |
| 73 | Canada |
| 71 | UK |
| 68 | Australia |
| 68 | Japan |
| 66 | Switzerland |
| 59 | France |
| 42 | Spain |
Other Ranking Factors for the Top Countries
There are also many other factors on which the participants of the survey were assessed such as choosing a country for the reasons of speaking its language, if it is recommended by others, and if they have family ties to these countries.
Rank, by the number of respondents who listed a specific reason for choosing the country (where 1 is the highest ranking)
| Chosen Country | I speak the language of this country | Others recommended this country | Many people of my nationality live in this country |
| Australia | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| US | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Canada | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| UK | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Germany | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Japan | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Singapore | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| France | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Spain | 2 | 4 | 5 |
Important Key statistics of international workers
- More than 75% of respondents expect their future employer to assist with housing, visas, and permits,
- About 800 million professionals around the world may be actively looking for jobs abroad,
- Language, recommendations, and family ties are the most important reasons why international workers choose a country.
Top 30 Desirable cities for foreigners to live in
London outclassed all other cities as the most desirable city in the world to live. Amsterdam claimed 2nd position whereas Dubai and Abu Dhabi remained at number 3rd and 4th respectively.
| 1. London | 11. Toronto | 21. Vancouver |
| 2. Amsterdam | 12. Los Angeles | 22. Atlanta |
| 3. Dubai | 13. Paris | 23. Vienna |
| 4. Abu Dhabi | 14. Melbourne | 24. Chicago |
| 5. New York | 15. Austin | 25. Beijing |
| 6. Berlin | 16. Auckland | 26. Kuala Lumpur |
| 7. Singapore | 17. Bangkok | 27. Athens |
| 8. Barcelona | 18. Madrid | 28. Copenhagen |
| 9. Tokyo | 19. Zurich | 29. Montreal |
| 10. Sydney | 20. Washington DC | 30. Osaka |