A survey conducted by financial website, Insider Monkey, has revealed that Malaysia has been ranked as the second friendliest country in Asia, earning a score of 2.20. This places Malaysia as the 15th friendliest country in the world.
Additionally, Malaysia has also been ranked as the 16th most immigrant-friendly country globally, with a migrant stock in population of 10.7% which includes refugees and people born in a country other than their current place of residence.
HSBC has also named Malaysia as the 25th best country for expat living, with 26 million tourists visiting Malaysia in 2023, supported by a high visa acceptance rate. This suggests that Malaysia is increasingly becoming a welcoming destination for foreigners.
The Passport Index 2024 report has identified Malaysia as the fourth most welcoming country in the world in terms of visa on arrival and electronic travel authorisation (ETA) entry for travelers. This is a significant factor contributing to Malaysia’s favorable ranking in terms of friendliness and immigration.
Insider Monkey, the financial website behind the survey, is known for providing trading and hedge fund data, and their findings have painted a positive picture of Malaysia’s reputation on the global stage.
While Malaysia has been recognized for its friendliness, the United Arab Emirates took the top spot as the friendliest country in Asia, with a score of 2.52. Vietnam, the Philippines, and Singapore also made it to the top five most friendly countries in Asia, following the UAE and Malaysia in the rankings.
The rankings were determined based on four sources, including Yahoo Finance and Insider Monkey’s articles on the friendliest and most immigrant-friendly countries, HSBC’s Expat Explorer rankings, and the Passport Index’s Welcoming Countries Rank 2024. These sources provided data on different aspects of friendliness and immigration, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of the countries’ standings.
After considering the data from these sources, each country was given a score by dividing its rank on the list by the total number of countries listed in the articles. These scores were then aggregated to determine the overall rankings and to identify the friendliest and most immigrant-friendly countries in the world.
