20 Best Countries for Women Who Want to Leave the U.S.
By Jen Barnett, Co-founder, Expatsi
October 15, 2023 · Updated November 12, 2025 · 9 min read
American women who want to move abroad gather in hundreds of Facebook groups that target female expats. Some of those groups include Mexico Wild Women Expat Community (18k members), Black Women Expats in Panama (2.1k members), and Coffee with Expat Women (4.3k members). They’re excellent resources for meeting other women who’ve emigrated from the United States.
If you’re a woman considering immigration for yourself, the Women Peace and Security Index is a good place to start. This data, compiled by Georgetown University, uses metrics like education, cellphone use, legal discrimination, and partner violence to measure women’s quality of life. The report does not account for race or other intersectional data.
The index, which is from 2022, ranked the United States in 21st place prior to overturning Roe V. Wade. These countries were ranked as the top 20.
1. Norway
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
The report notes that, with a few exceptions, “Countries where women are doing well tend to be those with strong and more open democratic institutions.” It also notes that, “Rates of financial inclusion range from universal in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden to fewer than 1 woman in 20 in South Sudan and Yemen.”
For Americans, the most direct way in is a job. Norway's skilled worker permit needs a Norwegian employer and an offer that meets the country's pay rules, and Oslo has the biggest job market, with English spoken at nearly every office desk.
2. Finland
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Nordic countries outperform all others. Per the index, “Policies in the Nordic countries are associated with strong performances on the WPS Index.” Finland also regularly ranks first among the happiest countries in the world.
Professionals with a qualifying job offer can get an EU Blue Card on a two-week fast track. Design-minded Helsinki is the best-connected city for work, and lakeside Tampere is a university and tech town under two hours away by train.
3. Iceland
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
As the report notes, “Nordic countries do well even by developed country standards. High achievements on the inclusion and justice fronts can be traced, at least in part, to public policies that promote a dual-earner model.”
Iceland grants residence permits for a job, a degree program, or family ties, not simply for wanting to live there. If you qualify, Reykjavík is a compact, safe capital with wild nature a short drive away.
4. Denmark
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“In Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, both fathers and mothers have access to at least a year of paid parental leave, also helping to even out childcare responsibilities,” says the report. Gender gaps in workforce participation are also small.
Danish work visas start with a job offer, and well-paid offers can clear in about a month. Copenhagen is a calm, bikeable capital where English works nearly everywhere, and Aarhus offers a similar feel at a smaller scale.
Which country fits you best?
This article is the same for every reader. The Expatsi Test ranks 100 countries on what matters to you: answer 25 questions and see your top 10.
Why do you want to move abroad?
Pick all that apply.
Free · 5 minutes · 400,000 people have taken it
5. Luxembourg
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
This small nation is known for its safety and exemplary healthcare. Its parliament is comprised of 31.7% women.
6. Switzerland
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Switzerland is tied with Singapore for lowest intimate partner violence, and 58.8% of women there are employed. Jobs are crucial for most women here, because the country is one of the most expensive to live in.
The job has to come first anyway, since a Swiss company files your work permit. Zurich is the center of banking, insurance, and tech, and UN agencies and NGOs in Geneva offer plenty of English-speaking work.
7. Sweden
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Sweden performs slightly behind its Nordic neighbors, but it’s focused on women’s issues like sexual violence: “The Swedish government is resourcing the Crime Victim Compensation and Support authorities to handle cases of sexual violence.”
Americans can visit for 90 days without a visa. To stay longer, look at a work visa, which your Swedish employer starts, or a study visa if you enroll at a Swedish school.
8. Austria
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Austria is having a banner year for drawing expats, as Vienna was recently named the move livable city by The Economist. The country is offering many options to live and work there.
Beyond Vienna, Graz is a student town with rents well below the capital's, and Salzburg has the Alps and lakes close by. Job hunters who score 70 points can use the job seeker visa to look for work in person.
9. United Kingdom
Women have an average of 13.2 years of education in the UK, and the country has announced a new strategy for the rights of women and girls. It’s challenging to move to the UK, though, unless you’re studying abroad or have an existing job offer in the country.
Those two routes are the student visa, which spares Americans the English test, and the skilled worker visa for jobs with a licensed employer. London has the deepest job market in Britain.
10. The Netherlands
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Five percent of women report intimate partner violence in the Netherlands, and 99.8% have access to financial freedom and services. American freelancers often use the DAFT visa to navigate their way to the Netherlands.
The DAFT visa gives you a two-year permit once you register a Dutch business, and your family can come too. Rotterdam undercuts Amsterdam on rent, and The Hague has a huge expat scene and plenty of international schools.
11. Germany
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Women have an average of 13.9 years of schooling in Germany—the highest on the list. Women who want to study abroad should keep in mind that college in Germany is basically free, and programs in English are available.
Getting admitted is the harder step. After that, the student visa asks you to park about $13,700 in a blocked account. Berlin is unusually English-friendly, and Bavaria's capital, Munich, pays the best and feels the safest.
12. Canada
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
The report gives Canada a perfect score for absence of legal discrimination and discriminatory norms. Canada also has very permissive abortion laws and universal healthcare. Canada has no digital nomad visa, but Americans who work remotely for U.S. employers can stay as visitors for up to six months at a time.
For a permanent move, Express Entry is Canada's points-based track to residence, and you don't need a job offer to start. Toronto is the country's financial engine, and sunny Calgary puts Banff an hour away.
13. New Zealand
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
New Zealand is nearing the aspirational 50% mark for parliamentary representation: 48.3% of its representatives are women. Women’s perception of safety was the lowest in the top 20, though, with only 50.3% of women feeling safe on their own at night. It’s challenging to move to New Zealand without a job offer or college acceptance letter, but younger Americans can go on a working holiday visa.
The working holiday visa is open to Americans aged 18 to 30 and lasts up to a year. If your job is on the Green List, it can lead to residence, and walkable Wellington is heavy on government and tech jobs.
14. Spain
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Women in Spain have less education (10 years), financial inclusion (91.6%), and lower employment rates (44.3%) than previous countries on the list, but the country’s friendly visa program makes it one of the easiest top-20 countries to move to.
Retirees living on a pension or savings can use the non-lucrative visa, and remote workers can apply for the digital nomad visa. Valencia is the expat favorite, with a big American community and rents well below Madrid.
15. (tie) France
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Like Canada, France also nets a perfect score for lack of legal discrimination. The country’s recent turmoil and civil unrest may deter some expats, but not the most dedicated Francophiles.
France has no retirement visa, so Americans who want to retire there use a long-stay visa. Paris has the largest American community in the country, and sunny Montpellier is one of the fastest-growing spots for American expats.
15. (tie) Singapore
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Singapore is the least democratic country in the top 20, but its high female employment rate (61.9%), low intimate partner violence rate (2%), and perception of safety (96.9%) go a long way in offering women peace and freedom.
If you have a job offer, your employer files the Employment Pass for you. Founders backed by investors or a recognized accelerator can apply for an EntrePass instead.
15. (tie) Slovenia
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Slovenia is a hidden gem for women who want to move abroad. It’s ranked in the top 10% of countries worldwide for both safety and healthcare, though it has no retirement visa. Parliamentary representation is the lowest of any country in the top 20 (21.9%), but its other stats are impressive.
Each Slovenian residence permit is tied to one purpose, such as a job, remote work, study, or family. Ljubljana is a calm, car-light capital, and Piran suits a quiet life by the water.
18. Portugal
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Women in Portugal have the lowest amount of education of countries in the top 20 (9.2 years), but the country gets a perfect score for lack of legal discrimination, and women make up a respectable percentage of parliamentary representation (40%). Americans love moving to Portugal on the D7 (passive income/retirement) visa or the digital nomad visa.
The D7 runs on pensions, rental income, or dividends, while the digital nomad visa is for remote workers. For a real city without Lisbon prices, look at Porto.
19. Ireland
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Ireland ranks high for years of education (12.9), financial inclusion (95.3%), and absence of legal discrimination (100%). The country has a flexible dual-citizenship program for people whose near ancestors were Irish citizens, and it also has a retirement visa for people who’d like to spend their golden years on the Emerald Isle.
If a grandparent was born on the island of Ireland, citizenship by descent may be open to you, and Stamp 0 is the retirement route for people of independent means. Cork is a laid-back second city with rents comfortably below Dublin.
20. Estonia
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Estonia is one of the best countries for women that you may have never considered. Women are very educated (13.6 years of schooling on average), enjoy high levels of financial inclusion (98.4%), and have 100% cellphone use. That’s not surprising in tech-savvy Estonia, where you can apply for visas and take care of other government functions online.
Estonia's digital nomad visa gives remote workers up to a year in the country, enough time to try Tallinn, a walkable capital with an intact Old Town, or Tartu, a relaxed university city.