Study: Malaysia Ranked 3rd Best Country in the World to Live In For 2026, Singapore Comes in 2nd

As Malaysians, it might seem a little biased to say Malaysia is one of the best countries to live in.

But it turns out that claim isn’t so far-fetched after all, with Malaysia securing a spot among the top three countries in the world to live in for 2026!

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Malaysia ranks third among the best countries to live in!

According to the Rumavi Global Relocation Index 2026, Malaysia has been ranked the world’s No. 3 best country to live in for 2026, scoring 72.0 out of 100.

It was just shy of Singapore, which came in second with a score of 72.6. Meanwhile, Estonia took the top spot with a score of 72.8.

Here are the other countries that made it into the top 10:

1. Estonia – 72.8
2. Singapore – 72.6
3. Malaysia – 72.0
4. Portugal – 71.6
5. Taiwan – 71.4
6. Lithuania – 71.0
7. Hong Kong – 71.0
8. St Kitts Nevis – 70.3
9. Czechia – 69.9
10. Malta – 69.8

Methodology

The Rumavi Global Relocation Index ranks 192 countries based on 24 different factors, including affordability, healthcare, quality of life, safety, political stability, infrastructure, visas and opportunities.

Rather than focusing on where it’s easiest to get a passport, Rumavi says the index looks at where people can actually build a life.

“The 24 metrics are grouped into four key pillars and then re-weighted across six different personas, so the rankings better reflect what matters to different types of people rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all average.”

However, Rumavi also noted that data quality varies across the countries ranked. Around 127 countries have strong to full coverage across institutional metrics, while the remaining 65 have lower confidence ratings and should therefore be viewed as more of a general guide rather than an authoritative ranking.

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Do you agree with the rankings? Let us know down in the comments below!

Also read: Study: Malaysia Scores 5.8/10 for Safety from the State in Human Rights