The Netherlands ranks 4th best country in the world for working abroad in 2022

The Netherlands has landed in 4th place in the world rankings for working abroad according to Expat Insider 2022. With such a great work-life balance, we can’t disagree! 👏

Expat Insider ranked 52 countries and territories around the world. How? By surveying about 50 internationals per destination. 👫

Flexible and innovative — no surprise there!

In the Netherlands, many respondents found that the local business culture is very flexible and innovative.

More specifically, 74% of expats living in the Netherlands agree that the business culture promotes independent work and/or flat hierarchies, while the global average is just 45%. 🤯

In terms of flexibility, 83% believe that it supports a flexible style of working (vs. 60% globally).

READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #9: Drink copious amounts of coffee at work

The Netherlands is known for its innovative ideas so it’s no surprise that 73% of the respondents find that it encourages thinking outside the box (as opposed to 51% globally!).

How does the Working Abroad Index work?

The Index surveys a minimum sample size of 50 respondents per country or territory about their experiences working abroad.

The rankings are based on four subcategories which are judged based on at least two factors for each:

  • The Career Prospects Subcategory (local job market, personal career opportunities, and if working abroad has improved their career)
  • The Salary & Job Security Subcategory (job security, state of the economy, and fair pay)
  • The Work & Leisure Subcategory (Working hours, and work-life balance)
  • The Work Culture & Satisfaction Subcategory (creativity, thinking outside the box, flexibility, and if it promotes independent work and/ or flat hierarchies)

And guess what? The Netherlands ranked within the top 10 for all four subcategories! 👏

READ MORE | The Dutch work the highest number of years in the EU (but there’s a catch)

The top 10 best countries for working abroad in 2022

Let’s take a look at the other countries that made it into this year’s Working Abroad Index: 👇

  1. Denmark
  2. Australia
  3. Ireland
  4. Netherlands
  5. UAE
  6. Estonia
  7. USA
  8. Sweden
  9. Norway
  10. Belgium

Denmark takes the top spot, thanks to its work-life balance and working hours while those in Australia and Ireland are particularly happy with the local job market.


It’s no surprise that the Netherlands is in the top 5 countries for working abroad in 2022. For instance, after the pandemic, hybrid working from home slowly became the norm.

Now, the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) has even passed the legislative proposal to ‘Work Where You Want’!

How do you feel about the 2022 Working Abroad Index results? Do you agree? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image:Depositphotos
Lea Shamaa 🇺🇸🇱🇧
Lea Shamaa 🇺🇸🇱🇧
Lea has a passion for writing and sharing new ideas with the world. She enjoys film photography, Wes Anderson movies, fictional books and jazz music. She came to the Netherlands in 2019 for her media studies and has fallen in love with the country and its culture ever since. She loves to ride her bicycle in the city but also feels the need to overtake everyone on the bike lane (she's working on it).

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