The Best Countries for Democrats, Based on Policy
The Best Countries for Democrats, Based on Policy
It’s always been common for voters to say that they’ll leave the U.S. if their preferred presidential candidate doesn’t win. These days, though, winning isn’t enough if the losers can’t accept defeat.
If you don’t think that authoritarianism or Christian nationalism are a threat in the United States, listen up:
- 23% of Americans now condone political violence
- A third of Americans believe the 2020 election was stolen
- Polls show Trump and Biden in a dead heat for 2024, despite Trump’s indictments
If you’ve thought about moving abroad to avoid the division and political uncertainty the U.S. is facing, we’ve found countries that best exemplify these values espoused by the Democratic party:
- Social welfare
- Labor unions
- Consumer protections
- Workplace safety
- Equal opportunity
- Climate & environmental protections
- Criminal justice reform
- Abortion rights
- Middle class protections
- Universal healthcare
- Public education
- Gun control
- Multilateral foreign policy
Read on to see our best choices for liberals, Democrats, progressives, and lefties. And don’t worry, you can still vote from another country!
Social welfare: France
Photo Credit: Twenty20.
➤ Learn more about moving to France
Social welfare, which pools resources to provide necessities like healthcare, education, and food, is a powerful tool for creating a better society for rich and poor. Only the most disturbed people prefer to live in a world where people are suffering. Developing welfare states are growing across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
These countries all provide more social spending than the United States as a percentage of GDP:
- France
- Finland
- Denmark
- Belgium
- Italy
- Austria
- Germany
- Norway
- Greece
- Sweden
- Spain
- New Zealand
- Japan
- Portugal
- Luxembourg
- Slovenia
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- United Kingdom
- Iceland
- Canada
Labor unions: Denmark
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
➤ Learn more about moving to Denmark
If you get to work less than 60 hours per week and enjoy health coverage or worker’s compensation, thank a union. Those achievements, along with improvements in workplace safety and child labor laws, are all thanks to collective bargaining.
Each year, the International Trade Union Confederation ranks the best and worst countries for workers’ rights. These countries all got the best possible score in 2022:
- Austria
- Denmark
- Finland
- Germany
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Norway
- Sweden
Consumer protections: Lithuania
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➤ Learn more about moving to Lithuania
While Democrats don’t eschew capitalism, they do fight for consumer rights and safety. The United Nations produces a map of consumer protections around the world, and these countries offer the most robust policies:
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Thailand
These are the next-best performers:
- Argentina
- Belgium
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- Finland
- Guyana
- Latvia
- Malta
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Panama
- Spain
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
Workplace safety: Colombia
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➤ Learn more about moving to Colombia
Democrats are proud to be on the side of American workers and want to protect their safety. The International Labour Organization tracks data related to workers, and these countries all boasted less than one workplace death per 100,000 workers last year:
- Belgium 0.0
- Colombia 0.0
- French Guiana 0.0
- El Salvador 0.1
- Panama 0.2
- Netherlands 0.3
- Bahrain 0.6
- Mauritius 0.6
- Finland 0.7
- Germany 0.7
- Barbados 0.8
- Sri Lanka 0.8
- United Kingdom 0.8
- Sweden 0.8
- Greece 0.9
- Belize 0.9
Equal opportunity: Portugal
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➤ Learn more about moving to Portugal
Democrats have fought for rights for women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. No country on Earth offers protections for people regardless of race, gender, gender identity, AND sexual orientation, but Portugal and Sweden come closest.
Full equal rights for women according to the World Bank (the U.S. doesn’t offer this):
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Latvia
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
Guaranteed rights regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, according to World Policy Center and UCLA (the U.S. doesn’t offer this):
- Bolivia
- Ecuador
- Fiji
- Malta
- United Kingdom
Sexual orientation only:
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Portugal
- South Africa
- Sweden
Guaranteed rights for all races according to the World Policy Center (the U.S. doesn’t offer this):
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- France
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Lithuania
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Oman
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Peru
- Portugal
- Republic of the Congo
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- The Gambia
- The Netherlands
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Türkiye
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Climate & environmental protections: Singapore
Photo Credit: Twenty20.
➤ Learn more about moving to Singapore
Democrats not only believe that climate change is real, they also fight to reverse it. According to the ND-Gain Readiness Index, these countries are all more prepared for climate change than the United States:
- Singapore
- Denmark
- Norway
- Monaco
- Finland
- South Korea
- Sweden
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Australia
- Japan
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom
- Austria
- Luxembourg
Criminal justice reform: Finland
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➤ Learn more about moving to Finland
A hallmark of non-democratic countries is a loss of human rights and the rule of law. The World Justice Project ranks countries according to factors like the absence of corruption and civil and criminal justice. These countries outrank the U.S. for criminal justice:
- Finland
- Denmark
- Norway
- Sweden
- Austria
- Germany
- Singapore
- Japan
- Estonia
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Luxembourg
- Australia
- Ireland
- South Korea
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
- Czechia
- Hong Kong SAR, China
- Lithuania
- Latvia
- Cyprus
- United Arab Emirates
- Spain
- Italy
- Malta
- France
Abortion rights: Albania
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➤ Learn more about moving to Albania
With the conservative SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, many expats are looking for countries where the right to an abortion is better protected. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, these countries offer abortion on request, although gestational lengths may vary.
- Albania
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Benin
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Canada
- China
- Colombia
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Equatorial Guinea
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Guinea Bissau
- Guyana
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Luxembourg
- Lithuania
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Mozambique
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
Middle class protections: Australia
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➤ Learn more about moving to Australia
One of the best ways that a country can protect its middle class is by allowing minimum wage to keep up with living expenses. By doing so, you create a nation of people who can afford housing and contribute to the economy, while minimizing income inequality. According to WageIndicator, minimum wage exceeds the cost of living in these countries:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- New Zealand
- South Korea
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
Universal healthcare: Brazil
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
➤ Learn more about moving to Brazil
The United States famously spends the most money per capita on healthcare, only to provide no universal coverage or collective bargaining. These countries offer some form of universal coverage, and Brazil offers free coverage for everyone, even foreigners:
- Albania
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland {Republic}
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kuwait
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Pakistan
- Peru
- Philippines
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Serbia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
Public education: Germany
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
➤ Learn more about moving to Germany
Democrats want to provide safe schools with well-paid teachers who teach truthful history, even when it’s uncomfortable. WiseVoter ranks the countries below in the top 20 for literacy and graduation rates, and Germany also offers free public college to all:
- Germany
- Finland
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Norway
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- Denmark
- Ireland
- Singapore
- Sweden
- Netherlands
- Slovenia
- Belgium
- Lithuania
- Switzerland
- Canada
- Estonia
- Hong Kong
- Israel
Gun control: Slovenia
Photo Credit: Twenty20.
➤ Learn more about moving to Slovenia
Most countries have stricter policies for gun use and ownership than the United States. No country comes close to the number of guns per capita, at 1.2 guns per person, or the number of mass shootings we have in the U.S.
The U.S. has 4.5 gun homicides per 100,000 people. Here’s a partial list of countries with fewer:
- Slovenia 0.0
- Iceland 0.0
- Hong Kong 0.0
- Estonia 0.0
- Japan 0.0
- Singapore 0.0
- United Kingdom 0.0
- Poland 0.0
- South Korea 0.0
- Romania 0.0
- Hungary 0.1
- Germany 0.1
- Norway 0.1
- Switzerland 0.1
- Czech Republic 0.1
- Spain 0.1
- Austria 0.1
- France 0.1
- Belarus 0.1
- Qatar 0.2
- Australia 0.2
- Netherlands 0.2
- Denmark 0.2
- Luxembourg 0.2
- Greece 0.2
- Azerbaijan 0.2
- Bulgaria 0.2
- Finland 0.2
- New Zealand 0.2
- Cuba 0.2
- Ireland 0.2
- Portugal 0.2
- Belgium 0.3
- Italy 0.3
- India 0.3
- Zimbabwe 0.3
- Kyrgyzstan 0.3
- Slovakia 0.3
- Moldova 0.3
- Croatia 0.4
- Kuwait 0.4
- Sweden 0.4
- Latvia 0.4
- Cyprus 0.5
- Canada 0.5
- Taiwan 0.6
- Georgia 0.6
- Israel 0.7
- Serbia 0.7
- Bolivia 0.7
- Russia 0.9
- Turkey 1.0
- Macedonia 1.1
- Ukraine 1.4
- Chile 1.9
- Montenegro 2.5
- Argentina 2.8
- Peru 3.2
Multilateral foreign policy: Canada
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
➤ Learn more about moving to Canada
While President Biden prefers multilateral policies that take many countries’ needs into consideration, bilateral negotiations are often the norm. Even in multilateral organizations, the United States has outsized influence, negating the value of other members’ votes. These countries are considered proponents of multilateralism:
- Australia
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- Iceland
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Tired of the Liberal Agenda in the US? Consider Moving to One of These Conservative Countries
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It’s a common refrain for Americans to say they’ll leave the country if their presidential candidate is bested by an opponent. Sometimes that’s followed with a promise to move to Canada specifically, but let’s face it—a republican who isn’t happy in the United States will be miserable in Canada.
➤ Tired of the Liberal Agenda in the US? Consider Moving to One of These Conservative Countries
11 Reasons Women Are Fleeing the USA
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While the number of people emigrating from the United States grows, there’s one thing the news isn’t reporting: many of these people are women.
The number of solo woman expats is soaring, while married women work to convince reticent husbands to move abroad. Here are some of the reasons women are fleeing the USA:
➤ 11 Reasons Women Are Fleeing the USA
5 Easy Ways to Find the Best Country to Live In
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How do you find the best country to live in?
It’s an impossible task, really; a great country for someone else might be a disaster for you. You might want low cost of living with universal healthcare and income equality. Maybe personal safety in an attractive destination where English is widely spoken. Perhaps you want a small country offering quality education in an international school system.
With nearly 200 countries to choose from, picking your top countries gets tough quickly. Here are a few ways to find the lifestyle that suits your needs:
Jen is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps Americans move abroad. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. She's written for BusinessWeek, Health, Cooking Light, and Southern Living. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She's moving to Mexico in 2024, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?
Jen is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps Americans move abroad. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. She's written for BusinessWeek, Health, Cooking Light, and Southern Living. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She's moving to Mexico in 2024, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?