Recently, Malaysia has received positive reviews in tourism rankings by various publications and organisations, including being ranked 10th in top travel destinations by TripAdvisor, 18th in the world’s best holiday destinations by a UK-based non-profit organisation, and the 6th most visited city in the world by Travelness.
Now, our country has been rated as the second friendliest country in Asia in a ranking by Yahoo! Finance and Insider Monkey, adding another ranking to the list.
The ranking aims to list the 15 friendliest countries in Asia, highlighting the best Asian countries that offer a warm welcome to tourists, expats and immigrants.
Malaysia is the second friendliest country in Asia and the 15th friendliest country in the world.
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The rankings placed Malaysia as the second-friendliest country in Asia with a score of 2.20. Additionally, the list also revealed that Malaysia is the 15th friendliest country in the world and the 16th most immigrant-friendly country in the world with an immigrant population of 10.7%.
Additionally, Yahoo! Finance and Insider Monkey noted that Malaysia was ranked 25th among the best countries for expats to live in by HSBC, and that high visa approval rates led to 26 million tourists visiting Malaysia last year.
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Malaysia’s high ranking can also be attributed to the Passport Index 2024, which ranked it as the fourth most welcoming country in the world in terms of visa on arrival and Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) entry offered to travellers.
Top 15 Friendliest Countries in Asia
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the only Asian country to rank higher than Malaysia, earning the top spot on the list due to the country’s share of expats exceeding 88 percent. Additionally, HSBC’s ranking of the UAE as the fourth best country in the world for expats also contributed to the country’s top spot.
Six other Southeast Asian countries feature in the top 15 list, including Cambodia in 13th place, Thailand in 8th place, Singapore in 5th place, Philippines in 4th place, Vietnam in 3rd place and of course Malaysia in 2nd place.
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According to the rankings by Yahoo! Finance and Insider Monkey, the top 15 friendliest countries in Asia are:
United Arab Emirates (score 2.52) Malaysia (score 2.20) Vietnam (score 1.67) Philippines (score 1.63) Singapore (score 1.51) Saudi Arabia (score 1.141) Taiwan (score 1.36) Thailand (score 1.32) Turkey (score 1.24) Jordan (score 1.23) Bahrain (score 1.20) India (score 1.18) Cambodia (score 1.00) Maldives (score 1.00) Sri Lanka (score 0.96)
Ranking Methodology
According to Yahoo! Finance and Insider Monkey, the countries were ranked based on four sources: previous lists of the “World’s 30 Friendliest Countries” and “World’s 20 Most Immigrant-Friendly Countries,” HSBC’s Expat Explorer rankings, and Passport Index’s “Welcoming Countries Rank 2024.”
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Additionally, the ranking of each Asian country on each list was observed and a score was assigned to each country accordingly by dividing its ranking on each list by the total number of countries ranked on those lists. The scores were then tallied to determine an overall score for each Asian country.
So, what do you think about Malaysia’s ranking? Do you agree that we are the second most foreigner-friendly country in Asia?
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Share your thoughts in the comments!
Also read: “Best of the Best” – Kuala Lumpur named 10th most popular travel destination in the world for 2024
