Europe dominates Global Passport Index quality of life rankings

European countries offering high living standards, strong public services and broad personal freedoms continue to set the global benchmark for quality of life with several Nordic and Western European nations standing out for their performance across health, environment and social indicators.

European countries occupy the top positions in the 2025 Global Passport Index Quality of Life rankings, according to recent data published by Global Citizen Solutions.

Sweden ranked first in the index, followed by Finland, Germany and Denmark. Norway moved into the top tier during the 2021–25 period while Luxembourg and the United Kingdom recorded improvements in their scores.

Spain remained among the top ten countries measured.

The quality of life dimension evaluates countries based on indicators related to human development, personal freedom, environmental performance, cost of living, happiness and migrant acceptance.

The rankings draw on data from international sources including the United Nations, World Bank, World Happiness Report, Yale Environmental Performance Index and Gallup Migrant Acceptance Survey.

The index is designed to assess how countries perform as places to live rather than destinations to visit. It combines objective measures such as healthcare access, safety and governance with subjective indicators including life satisfaction and social inclusion.

Outside Europe, Japan ranked as the leading country in Asia within the quality of life dimension, supported by scores linked to infrastructure, healthcare and safety.

Taiwan and South Korea showed movement over the review period while Bhutan recorded gradual gains from a lower base.

In the Americas, Chile posted the strongest recovery in quality of life scores after a mid-period decline. Uruguay and Argentina showed more moderate changes. The US experienced a decline earlier in the period followed by a partial recovery by 2025, according to the index data.

Australia and New Zealand continued to rank highly in Oceania. Smaller island states including Tuvalu and Palau registered improvements over the period reviewed.