Austria continues to evoke a love-hate relationship among expats:
While workers once again praised the country for its high quality of life (ranked fourth) in the annual Expat Insider Survey by InterNations, the survey again revealed clear weaknesses in social integration. In the “Ease of Settling In” index, Austria ranked 41st in the lower field—mainly due to the unfriendliness of locals. Overall, Austria placed 23rd out of 46 countries surveyed.
The perceived unfriendliness of locals weighed heavily on the result: only 43 percent of respondents (rank 44) considered Austrians friendly (compared to 62 percent worldwide). When it came to dealing with foreigners, the number was even lower at just 37 percent (compared to 60 percent globally), according to a press release on Tuesday. Correspondingly, it was difficult to make local friends (rank 40) or to feel welcome (rank 40).
Austria also lags behind in cashless payments: only 76 percent found it easy to pay without cash. With rank 43, Austria recorded one of the lowest scores worldwide in this category.
Strong marks for quality of life
Austria, however, scored better in terms of quality of life, environment, and mobility: the country ranked high for nature and landscape as well as leisure opportunities. The healthcare system was also rated as both affordable and of high quality.
In terms of work and career, Austria slipped slightly compared to 2024: fair pay, job security, and the labor market were rated worse than the previous year. While the economic situation was still assessed positively by a majority (73 percent), this was below the previous year’s level (84 percent). Overall, 69 percent of expats in Austria were satisfied with their lives—slightly above the global average of 67 percent.
