Malaysia Named 2nd Friendliest Country In Asia
With a score of 2.20, Malaysia is also ranked the 15th most friendly country in the world.
By May Vin Ang — 16 Feb 2024, 04:18 PM
Malaysia is the second friendliest country in Asia, according to a survey done by finance website, Insider Monkey
According to Insider Monkey, which originally ranked the 30 friendliest countries in the world, Malaysia comes second in its list of top five friendliest countries in Asia.
"Travelling abroad, whether for tourism or starting a new life, is a unique experience.
"While tourists have several expectations associated with visiting a country, it is often their experience with locals that has a long-lasting impact on the perception that they develop of that place," it said.
Malaysia ranked high in different aspects of "friendliness" as determined by the website
To rank the countries, Insider Monkey considered a country's tolerance to others from different origins, religions, and ethnicities, the locals' attitudes towards immigrants and expats, as well as the country's visa acceptance rate.
It looked at four sources: Yahoo! Finance's 20 Most Immigrant Friendly Countries in the World, Insider Monkey's 30 Friendliest Countries in the World, HSBC's Expat Explorer rankings, and Passport Index's Welcoming Countries Rank 2024.
It found that Malaysia is not only hospitable to tourists, but also friendly to immigrants and expatriates
Here's Insider Monkey's list of the most friendly countries in Asia and their scores:
1. United Arab Emirates - 2.52
2. Malaysia - 2.20
3. Vietnam - 1.67
4. Philippines - 1.63
5. Singapore - 1.51
With a score of 2.20, Malaysia is also ranked the 15th friendliest country in the world.
"26 million tourists travelled to Malaysia in 2023, aided by a high visa acceptance rate. According to the Passport Index 2024, Malaysia is the fourth most welcoming county in the world in terms of visa on arrival or ETA entry offered to travelling passengers.
"Moreover, it ranks as the 16th most immigrant friendly country in the world as well, with a migrant stock population of 10.7%. HSBC has also listed Malaysia as the 25th best country for expat living," it wrote.
