Internations, one of the world’s largest expat communities, has recently published a global Expat Insider survey, showing which are the preffered places for expats and why – and Estonia was ranked for the first time. So, how did Estonia do in its first appearance?

Overall, Estonia was ranked number 27th among all 62 countries that participated in this fifth edition of the study – with over 18 000 respondents from all around the world! Estonia was highly ranked in some of the subcategories that included Quality of Life, Ease of Settling in, Working Abroad, Family Life and Personal Finance.

For instance, the Quality of Life category included a sub-category named Digital Life – in which newcomer Estonia ranked number one. As it was written in the report ‘Expats looking for a country without bureaucratic hurdles need look no further than Estonia – the best-ranking…for the availability of administrative and government services online’. This definitely mirrors our motto as the world’s most digitally advanced society.

On the Ease of Settling In category Estonia didn’t fare the best overall (54th place). While expats found it very easy in Estonia to go through the local registration process, navigate public transportation and file local taxes (we are guessing online), there were also some areas for improvement. Easiness to learn the language and also building networks, are among the places where expats felt they were lacking. Fortunately, more and more initiatives – both governmental (such as the Welcomming Programm) and grassroots (Estonishing Evenings by Estonian World) have risen to support the arrival of newcomers. Plus, the soon-to-open International House of Estonia will also address some issues in this respect.

It was good news for Work in Estonia team to find Estonia ranked number 17 as a preferred place for working abroad. In general, Estonia seems to present a good option for expats in terms of career prospects and satisfaction, as well as having a good balance between work and leisure.

For those that have settled in Estonia with their family, they will be glad to know that Estonia was ranked the 11th best country for family life – in which quality and cost of education, and family well-being were among the most appreciated qualities of Estonia according to the 2018 survey.

Top expat destinations in 2018 according to Internations Expat Insider were Bahrain, Taiwan and Ecuador.

Got a bit curious on how Estonia compares to other countries, or your country of origin? Check out the full report here.