The Most Liberal Countries You Should Move to in 2025

When moving countries, you’ll likely want to choose one that matches your worldview — or at least one that doesn’t completely go against your beliefs and values.

Liberal countries prioritise freedom and equality, and act to make those concepts a reality for their inhabitants. They actively work to fully accept and support everyone – to make you feel at home.

We’ll go into our methodology below, but let’s get to the results first. These are the nations which best reflect liberal values.

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The Most Liberal Countries to Move to:

1. Finland

2. Norway

3. Sweden

4. Denmark

5. Iceland

6. New Zealand

7. Switzerland

8. Canada

9. Germany

10. Australia

Our methodology

As mentioned above, we’ve prioritized freedom and equality, as any successful liberal country should.

In order to see which nations are fighting for equality for all their peoples, we looked at LGBTQ+ and gender equality rankings, as well as governmental website reports on climate.

The environment is also a key battlefront in the fight to create a liberal utopia, as climate change disproportionately affects deprived people.

And in a truly liberal country, everyone should have the same opportunities as everyone else. That means basic human needs like nutrition and shelter have to be met, healthcare and education is prioritized and widely available, and people have freedom of expression.

We’ve used data from the 2024 Social Progress Index, a yearly ranking system that judges countries against these principles. We’ve given this rating double the value of the other categories, since it covers so many areas of life.

If a country does well in all of these categories, it should result in widespread happiness – we’ve also been able to turn this into data, thanks to the 2024 World Happiness Report.

As you’ve seen above, under each country’s name, we’ve included tables that show its world ranking in all of these categories, as well as point scores.

These are out of 150, with a country getting 25 points in a category if it is the best in the world, 24 if it’s the second-best, and so on – apart from in the ‘Human needs’ category, which is out of 50. If a nation doesn’t rank in the top 25 in a category, it gets zero.

Finland: 130 points

Finland has been the happiest nation on Earth for the past seven consecutive years, and actually increased its lead over the competition in 2024.

The country has the lowest child mortality rate in the world, relatively low levels of air pollution, and the best inclusiveness ratings of any nation.

Finland has also recently abolished its law forcing transgender people to be sterilised, so in light of this, we’ve bumped it up to the top of this list.

We’re very happy to see Finland is moving forward with increasing LGBTQ+ inclusivity – long may it continue.

Norway: 128 points

Norway is a liberal superstar

Scandinavian countries continue to dominate the top of the table, with Norway’s liberal paradise up next. This will surprise very few people with their finger on the pulse – after all, Norway has been a pioneer of progress for decades.

Back in 1942, US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, hailed the country’s resistance to its Nazi occupiers, saying: “If there is anyone who still wonders why this war is being fought, let him look to Norway.

“If there is anyone who has any delusions that this war could have been averted, let him look to Norway, and if there is anyone who doubts the democratic will to win, again I say, let him look to Norway.”

The country has come on leaps and bounds since then, promoting progressive social policies that have led to excellent levels of gender and LGBT equality, and the lowest amounts of undernourishment and unsafe water in the world.

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Sweden: 124 points

While Sweden has shaken a little in its liberal foundations, considering more conservative ideas recently such as privatised healthcare and a reduction in immigration, it’s still among the most liberal countries in the world. Sweden has recently welcomed more than 45,000 Ukrainian refugees, for example.

Sweden has long been a pioneer for the rights of all its citizens too. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalised in 1944 – 23 years before England and Wales – and its citizens are some of the most tolerant around.

European Commission polling taken in 2019 found 98% of Swedes thought gay, lesbian, and bisexual people should have the same rights as straight people – the highest in the European Union (EU).

The country enjoys the best personal rights in the world including freedom of expression and religion, and access to justice, 100% access to electricity, complete gender parity in secondary attainment, and air that is among the cleanest around.

However, it is – remarkably – the only country in the top seven without an elected female head of state.

Denmark: 123 points

Scandinavia is the most liberal region in the world – by far

The third Scandinavian nation in the top three ranks highest for fighting climate change, reducing pollution emissions, and protecting its species, is Denmark, according to Yale’s report.

Denmark helps its people in other ways too, for instance by providing the best-rated sanitation system, the most political power for the average citizen, and the least corruption globally.

The US may have coined the phrase, but Denmark is the true land of opportunity.

While Denmark is highly liberal in its offering of healthcare and personal rights for citizens, it shares similar POVs and issues surrounding immigration to Sweden at the moment. Recently, the Danish government has taken a harder stance against migration in general.

That said, as of November 2024, 15.9% of the population in Denmark are global immigrants.

Iceland: 105.5 points

If you’re looking for gender equality, Iceland is the place for you.

Having come in first place in the World Economic Forum’s rankings, Iceland has led the index for over a decade and has closed over 90% of its gender gap.

The country, which was the first to elect a female president in 1980, is also currently led by a woman, Halla Tómasdóttir. Up until April 2024, Iceland also had a female prime minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

Under Jakobsdóttir, who was head of the eco-socialist Left-Green Movement (VG), Iceland had (and still has) the lowest rates of maternal mortality, as well as discrimination and violence against minorities in the world. Jakobsdóttir has been seen protesting alongside 100,000 women and non-binary people in an all-day strike for gender equality – a rather impressive feat.

New Zealand: 103.5 points

New Zealand is a perfect place to raise kids

The most liberal nation outside of Scandinavia is also the fourth-safest country in the world, and joint-best for gender equality across educational attainment.

New Zealand’s city, Christchurch, is the 33rd happiest city on Earth, ranking well for its government and economy.

And the environment is the major category for New Zealand – gaining 12th best air quality in the world.

Switzerland: 94 points

Central Europe’s most liberal country ranks highly for its environmental performance and overall happiness.

Switzerland’s health and wellness score is also the second-best in the world, helped by its unmatched access to essential services and the lowest rate of premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases on Earth.

Switzerland has improved its LGBTQ rights substantially over the past few years, legalising same-sex marriage in 2022. Also, it came 13th in the LGBTQ+ Travel Safety list, taking steps to create equality for all.

Alongside trying to reduce the gender gap, Switzerland is working hard towards wilderness protection with its “Wildnis – mehr Freiraum für die Natur!” initiative. This aims to protect the forests, rivers and marshlands the country has left – aiming to enable them to thrive.

Canada: 90.5 points

Considered the most LGBT-friendly nation in the world, Canada is the only entrant in the top 10 from the Americas.

Canada may have a relatively low gender equality ranking overall, but it comes third for equality of political power by gender, and women comprise 48% of the workforce – the joint-highest in the world.

The country also maintains its peoples’ personal freedoms better than all but eight other nations, and is the fifth-most inclusive nation out there.

100% of Canadians attend secondary school, with – logically – full gender parity in this area.

Germany: 83.5 points

Germany is known for protecting your personal rights

Europe’s economic powerhouse achieved its ninth-place finish by being solid in all areas, but if we dig deeper into our criteria, we can identify some specific advantages of living in Germany.

Germany has access to some of the best higher education in the world, with 20 universities reaching the list of the best in the world.

And Germany provides a high level of basic medical care and nutrition to its citizens too, with the country placing third worldwide in this category.

It’s also the second-best country for protecting people’s personal rights, and has made progress towards gender equality under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, with women now accounting for 40% of ministers. Since Olaf Scholz became chancellor in 2021, that’s only increased, which is great news.

Australia: 77 points

If you want to enjoy the world’s seventh-best air quality and second-best access to higher education at the same time, Australia is the nation for you.

A country that tries to build a nurturing environment for its citizens will also engender respect towards their personal safety and personal rights, which Australia does, coming in the top six on both counts.

You’ll also benefit from the second-best access to essential health services, which makes life much easier for expats and home-grown citizens alike.

However, the country is 24th in the world for gender equality, the lowest on our list, so if there’s one reason to hesitate before moving to Australia, it’s that.

Next steps

Now you know where the most liberal countries in the world are, you might be thinking about packing those bags and moving to one.

If that’s the case, we can help. Simply fill in our online webform with a few details about your move, and we’ll connect you to our expert suppliers. They’ll get in touch with bespoke moving quotes for you to compare.