Ranked: The Best and Worst Countries to Live In 2026
Key Takeaways
- Estonia ranks as the world’s best country to live in 2026, narrowly ahead of Singapore and Malaysia.
- The United States ranks 107th out of 184 countries, behind Brazil and India.
- Europe accounts for half of the top 20 countries, while 13 of the bottom 20 are in Africa.
Where are the best places in the world to live in 2026?
This visualization ranks 184 countries using 2026 data from Rumavi.
Each country’s rank is based on a composite score incorporating 24 measures across four pillars: financial and tax, livability and health, safety and stability, and settling and opportunity.
The results produce some unexpected leaders, with several of the world’s wealthiest countries finishing well outside the top spots.
The World’s Best Countries to Live In
Estonia ranks first with a score of 72.8, narrowly ahead of Singapore (72.6) and Malaysia (72.0).
Estonia’s first-place finish is notable for a country of roughly 1.3 million people. It scores exceptionally well across the safety and settling pillars, supported by robust rule of law, a strong startup ecosystem, and low youth unemployment.
Its fellow Baltic states, Lithuania (71.0) and Latvia (68.7), also rank among the top 20.
The table below ranks the world’s 20 best countries to live in 2026.
| Rank | Country | Region | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estonia | Europe | 72.8 |
| 2 | Singapore | Asia | 72.6 |
| 3 | Malaysia | Asia | 72.0 |
| 4 | Portugal | Europe | 71.6 |
| 5 | Taiwan | Asia | 71.4 |
| 6 | Lithuania | Europe | 71.0 |
| 7 | Hong Kong | Asia | 71.0 |
| 8 | St Kitts & Nevis | Americas | 70.3 |
| 9 | Czechia | Europe | 69.9 |
| 10 | Malta | Europe | 69.8 |
| 11 | Cyprus | Europe | 69.7 |
| 12 | Bulgaria | Europe | 69.7 |
| 13 | UAE | Middle East | 69.4 |
| 14 | Georgia | Europe | 69.3 |
| 15 | Brunei | Asia | 69.3 |
| 16 | New Zealand | Oceania | 69.1 |
| 17 | Japan | Asia | 69.1 |
| 18 | Croatia | Europe | 68.9 |
| 19 | Latvia | Europe | 68.7 |
| 20 | Costa Rica | Americas | 68.7 |
Europe makes up exactly half of the world’s 20 highest-ranked countries, including Portugal (71.6), Czechia (69.9), and Malta (69.8).
European countries benefit from strong healthcare quality and high overall livability scores. Meanwhile, the relative affordability of countries in Southern and Eastern Europe gives Bulgaria and Cyprus (both 69.7) an edge over some of their more prominent counterparts in Northern and Western Europe.
East and Southeast Asia also perform well. Taiwan (71.4) ranks fifth worldwide, while Brunei (69.3) and Japan (69.1) each land among the world’s top 20.
The World’s Worst Countries to Live In
Africa accounts for 13 of the world’s 20 lowest-ranked countries. South Sudan (42.3) ranks lowest among African countries, although the bottom two positions globally belong to Afghanistan (39.5) and Yemen (41.4).
| Rank | Country | Region | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 173 | Angola | Africa | 48.4 |
| 174 | Ethiopia | Africa | 48.2 |
| 175 | Myanmar | Asia | 47.9 |
| 176 | Mauritania | Africa | 47.8 |
| 177 | Burundi | Africa | 47.6 |
| 178 | Papua New Guinea | Oceania | 47.5 |
| 179 | Haiti | Americas | 47.3 |
| 180 | Burkina Faso | Africa | 46.6 |
| 181 | Eritrea | Africa | 45.8 |
| 182 | DR Congo | Africa | 45.1 |
| 183 | Syria | Middle East | 45.0 |
| 184 | Mali | Africa | 44.8 |
| 185 | North Korea | Asia | 44.4 |
| 186 | Somalia | Africa | 44.2 |
| 187 | Central African Republic | Africa | 43.9 |
| 188 | Chad | Africa | 42.8 |
| 189 | Niger | Africa | 42.4 |
| 190 | South Sudan | Africa | 42.3 |
| 191 | Yemen | Middle East | 41.4 |
| 192 | Afghanistan | Asia | 39.5 |
Many of the world’s lowest-ranked countries face authoritarian rule, political instability, or weak state institutions. Afghanistan and North Korea (44.4), for example, score poorly across multiple measures, while Haiti (47.3) continues to struggle with a severe breakdown in government authority.
Weak property rights and poor scores for safety, health, and stability weigh heavily on countries near the bottom of the ranking.
The Low Ranking of the U.S.
The United States ranks 107th out of 184 countries with a score of 60.0, placing it in the bottom half of the index. It trails Canada (66.8) and the United Kingdom (65.8), as well as countries including India (60.6) and Brazil.
The U.S. continues to score well in education, business opportunity, and entrepreneurship. However, high living costs weigh on the country’s more moderate scores for health, livability, safety, and stability.
Despite its relatively low ranking, the U.S. still attracted more than 1.3 million new immigrants from abroad in 2025.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To see how country rankings change when considering later life, check out The 25 Best Countries to Retire in 2025 on Voronoi.