France allows some remote work on long-stay visitor visa

Best English-Speaking Countries to Live (2026)

Every country in our catalog ranked for English in daily life in 2026. Higher scores mean less friction for English-first movers.

Last updated

Admin, landlords, and doctors in a second language drain energy fast. This list ranks every country in our catalog by how workable English tends to be for someone relocating, not for a hotel concierge.

Language is only one column. Pair this table with Compare and check residence rules before you assume English covers bureaucracy.

RankCountryEnglish Speaking Score
#1Australia9.9
#2New Zealand9.9
#3United Kingdom9.9
#4United States9.9
#5Canada9.8
#6Ireland9.8
#7Barbados9.8
#8Bahamas9.7
#9Singapore9.5
#10Netherlands9.1
#11Norway8.9
#12Iceland8.9
#13Sweden8.8
#14Nigeria8.8
#15Malta8.8
#16Denmark8.7
#17Hong Kong8.6
#18Finland8.5
#19South Africa8.5
#20Philippines8.5
#21Liberia8.5
#22United Arab Emirates (Dubai)8.5
#23Qatar8.3
#24Mauritius8.3
#25Ghana8.0
#26Belgium7.8
#27Estonia7.8
#28Monaco7.8
#29Seychelles7.6
#30Luxembourg7.5
#31Kenya7.5
#32Cyprus7.5
#33Germany7.2
#34Sierra Leone7.0
#35Serbia6.9
#36Portugal6.8
#37Switzerland6.8
#38Czech Republic6.8
#39Malaysia6.8
#40Liechtenstein6.8
#41Lithuania6.8
#42Latvia6.8
#43Austria6.5
#44Poland6.5
#45Greece6.5
#46India6.5
#47Croatia6.5
#48Spain6.2
#49Hungary6.2
#50Costa Rica6.2
#51Saudi Arabia6.2
#52Cape Verde6.1
#53Romania6.0
#54Bulgaria5.9
#55France5.8
#56South Korea5.8
#57Chile5.8
#58Panama5.8
#59Andorra5.8
#60Azerbaijan5.8
#61Bosnia and Herzegovina5.8
#62Taiwan5.6
#63Mexico5.5
#64Uruguay5.5
#65Sri Lanka5.5
#66San Marino5.5
#67Georgia5.5
#68Ukraine5.5
#69Moldova5.3
#70Italy5.2
#71Argentina5.2
#72Thailand5.2
#73Russia4.8
#74Egypt4.8
#75Brazil4.8
#76Ecuador4.8
#77Turkiye4.8
#78Bangladesh4.8
#79Morocco4.8
#80Iran4.7
#81Japan4.5
#82Colombia4.5
#83Vietnam4.5
#84Pakistan4.5
#85Ethiopia4.5
#86China4.2
#87Peru4.2
#88Indonesia4.2
#89Nepal4.2
#90Tunisia4.2
#91Cambodia4.0
#92Kazakhstan4.0
#93Venezuela3.8
#94Bolivia3.8
#95Myanmar3.8
#96Algeria3.8
#97Sudan3.8
#98Senegal3.8
#99Paraguay3.5
#100Laos3.5
#101Uzbekistan3.5
#102Libya3.5
#103Ivory Coast3.5
#104Mongolia3.2
#105Togo3.2
#106Kyrgyzstan3.0
#107Guinea3.0
#108Tajikistan2.8
#109Chad2.8
#110Mali2.8
#111Benin2.8
#112Turkmenistan2.5
#113Niger2.5
#114Burkina Faso2.5

Why the leaders rank here for english speaking

Anglophone countries naturally lead, but the gap is about daily admin, not just tourist English.

  1. #1
    Australia9.9

    English dominates government forms, healthcare intake, and rental contracts in major cities.

  2. #2
    New Zealand9.9

    Smaller population and English-only public services keep onboarding simple for skilled migrants.

  3. #3
    United Kingdom9.9

    English is the default for leases, GP registration, and school enrollment nationwide.

  4. #4
    United States9.9

    Federal and state services, plus most employers, operate in English even in bilingual regions.

  5. #5
    Canada9.8

    Federal services run in both official languages, but English still carries most day-to-day life outside Quebec.

Rankings are based on our scoring model. Always verify visa and cost information with official sources before making relocation decisions.

How we calculate these rankings

We sort the full country catalog by English friendliness, highest first. The table reflects our latest editorial model at build time.

What this does not measure: Dialect comfort, local job markets in English, or whether your neighborhood is bilingual. Visit or trial remote months when language is critical.

Updates: Rankings refresh when we redeploy after underlying country data changes.

Explore these countries

Open any country profile for full english speaking context, visas, and scores. Use compare when you are weighing a shortlist.

Showing top 8 of 114 ranked countries. Scroll the table above for the full list.

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