In this article, we take a look at the 25 countries that welcome Americans with open arms. If you want to skip our discussion about Americans' global perceptions, you can go directly to the 5 Countries That Welcome Americans with Open Arms.
Since a significant number of Americans enjoy traveling abroad, whether for extended stays or short vacations, it is important to consider how they will be received by locals in these countries. The friendliness of the people in these destinations can play an important role in shaping Americans' overall experience during their vacation. This year saw a surge in U.S. international travel, with record numbers of Americans arriving in Europe and the Pacific. Demand for passports has also increased since the end of the pandemic and lockdown: 22 million passports were issued in 2022. Meanwhile, 2023 saw an even greater number of passport applications, with the US State Department receiving 500,000 applications weekly.
The world's population's attitudes toward Americans have changed over time and are influenced by numerous factors, such as political events, economic conditions, and cultural exchanges. According to the Pew Research Center, the share of the global public that has a positive view of the United States is declining. Globally, an average of 59% has a positive opinion of the United States. This is slightly lower than the 61% in 2022. It should be noted that the popularity of Americans has increased in Biden's first year of the presidency. But at the beginning of the second year, the world public began to lose trust in the 81-year-old US president. This is evident by the 2% decline in global positive views between 2022 and 2023.
European countries make up a large part of it America-friendly countries. Poland and Sweden are among the front runners 25 countries that welcome Americans with open arms in Europe. You can also check out the 30 friendliest countries in the world here. This US-Europe coalition is further strengthened by the presence of American multinational companies in Europe, where they generate a significant portion of their revenue. Notable examples include Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), a leading American online travel agency that derives 78% of its revenue from Europe. Additionally, Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL), a well-known American cosmetics company, reports that 43% of its sales come from Europe. Cooper Companies (NASDAQ:COO), a US-based global medical technology company, also generates 41% of its revenue in Europe. These collaborations underline the cooperative relationships between Europeans and Americans.
The story goes on
Here's what L1 Capital said about Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) in its Q3 2023 investor letter:
“After significant underperformance, some high-quality companies in these sectors are now becoming more attractive from a valuation perspective – in our language, they are now warming up on our bench of potential investments.
Our 'All Weather' portfolio, focused on our unique definition of 'quality', delivered strong performance in the September quarter. Three companies contributed over 0.5% (in Australian dollars) to the Fund's return for the quarter (Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), Intuit and Natural Resource Partners, in alphabetical order) and three other companies nearly reached this level of positive contribution. No company detracted from the portfolio's return by 0.5% or more.
As part of our travel during the quarter (see page 6), we had the opportunity to meet with management from Booking Holdings and Intuit. We continue to view both companies as exceptionally well managed.
Booking Holdings, the world's leading online travel agency, continues to benefit from a strong global travel environment with particular strength in Europe, Booking Holdings' core market. In our opinion, fears that there could be a peak in “revenge travel” following the COVID-19 lockdowns are unfounded. We expect current travel volumes to be only slightly elevated compared to pre-COVID-19 trends, with some regions, particularly outbound travel from China, still relatively weak. Anyone who has traveled anywhere recently will nod when we say that hotel prices have increased significantly recently. Lodging establishments are generally doing quite well, but the increased hotel prices were necessary to offset inflation in costs such as employee salaries and additional cleaning services. As Booking Holdings reduces the cost of overnight stays, the company benefits from higher average daily hotel rates. Importantly, Booking Holdings continues to invest in its business and improve the reach, quality and range of services it offers, resulting in market share gains and an expansion of its industry leadership. Booking Holdings is now more fairly valued by the market, but still offers attractive risk-adjusted base returns and remains one of the larger investments in the fund.”
25 countries that welcome Americans with open arms
20 countries with the most American expats
Our methodology
To shortlist the 25 countries that will welcome Americans with open arms, various credible sources such as Pew Research Center, Forbes and Global Citizen Solutions were consulted. We also scoured Reddit threads like r/AskAnAmerican and r/travel to get information about American's actual experiences in different countries. We obtained data from the Pew Research Center on the overall percentage of positive views of the United States and American entertainment worldwide. These sources were used to assign a score out of 100 to the shortlisted countries. The 25 countries that welcome Americans with open arms were ranked in ascending order of their overall score, with a higher score indicating a higher level of friendliness toward America.
Insider Monkey, by the way, is an investment website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. We use a consensus approach to identify the best stock picks from more than 900 hedge funds that invest in US stocks. Hedge funds' top 10 consensus stock picks outperformed the S&P 500 Index by more than 140 percentage points over the past 10 years (Details can be found here). Whether you're a beginner or a professional looking for the best stocks to buy, you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and company insiders.
25 countries that welcome Americans with open arms
25. Hungary
Insider Monkey Score = 52.91
Positive view = 44%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 71%
This year, 44% of Hungarians expressed a positive opinion of the USA. However, this represents the lowest popularity rating in Hungary and reflects an 11% decline since 2022. Meanwhile, around 71% of Hungarians believe that American entertainment stands out best among other options.
24. Argentina
Insider Monkey Score = 54.63
Positive view = 51%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 62%
Argentina has seen an increase in positive views from Americans over the years. In its last survey in 2019, Argentina had only 41% positive views, which increased by 10% in 2023. This is a record high endorsement rate for Americans in the country.
23. France
Insider Monkey Score = 56.29
Positive view = 52%
Positive attitude toward American entertainment = 65%
France saw a 5-point decline in positive views toward the US from 2022 to 2023. In 2022, 57% of the population had a positive opinion, and in 2023 around 52% had a similar opinion. Despite the decline in overall popularity, it is worth noting that the US remains an important trading partner for France, which could impact economic and diplomatic relations.
22. Singapore
Insider Monkey Score = 57.27
Positive view = 51%
Positive attitude toward American entertainment = 70%
In both 2021 and 2022, people in Singapore had a 51% positive view of Americans. This suggests that public opinion on this issue is almost evenly divided.
21. Indonesia
Insider Monkey Score = 57.98
Positive view = 56%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 62%
Indonesia has seen a 14-point increase in Americans' favorability over the past four years. Previously, 42% of people had a positive view of Americans. Indonesia has a better opinion of American entertainment: 62% of people think it is superior to the rest.
20. Germany
Insider Monkey Score = 58.32
Positive view = 57%
Positive attitude toward American entertainment = 61%
In Germany, 57% of people have a positive attitude towards Americans. This represents a 6-point decline from last year, when positive views were at 63%. This difference is due to worsening public opinion of the Biden administration.
19. India
Insider Monkey Score = 59.39
Positive view = 65%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 48%
While 65% of Indians have a positive view of Americans, they don't feel the same way about the American entertainment industry. Only 48% of the population believes American entertainment is above average or good.
18. Australia
Insider Monkey Score = 59.59
Positive view = 52%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 75%
While Americans' favorability in Australia has been on an upward trend since 2019, numbers fell this year, resulting in a 2% drop in rates. In 2022, Australia had a benefit rate of 54%, which fell to 52% in 2023.
17. Mexico
Insider Monkey Score = 59.70
Positive view = 63%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 53%
Two-thirds of Mexicans have a positive opinion of their neighbors. Almost half of Mexicans believe that American entertainment is among the best. This positive opinion among Americans has increased 27 points since 2019, when it stood at 36% during the Trump presidency.
16. Greece
Insider Monkey Score = 60.62
Positive view = 56%
Positive attitude toward American entertainment = 70%
About 56% of people in Greece have a positive view of the United States overall and about 70% believe that American entertainment is the best.
15. Sweden
Insider Monkey Score = 61.27
Positive view = 55%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 74%
In Sweden, 55% have a positive opinion of Americans, while 41% of the population has a negative opinion. A large portion of the population believes that American entertainment is first rate.
14. Spain
Insider Monkey Score = 61.27
Positive view = 55%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 74%
Spain holds similar views about Americans and their entertainment industry as Sweden. However, fewer people in Spain (39%) have a negative attitude towards Americans. Spain secured the fourteenth spot on our list of 25 countries that welcome Americans with open arms.
13. Belgium
Insider Monkey Score = 61.61
Positive view = 56%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 73%
In 2022, 56% of the Belgian population had a positive attitude towards Americans. American entertainment is also praised in Belgium: 73% of people consider it the best.
12. United Kingdom
Insider Monkey Score = 62.96
Positive view = 59%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 71%
Relations between the UK and the US have been largely friendly and have helped ensure that the UK is one of the countries that welcomes Americans with open arms. Overall, 59% of the population has a positive opinion of Americans.
11. Canada
Insider Monkey Score = 63.27
Positive view = 57%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 76%
Overall, 57% of Canadians have a positive opinion of Americans, while 38% have a negative opinion. However, a clear majority of 76% believe that the American entertainment and film industry is one of the best in the world.
10. Netherlands
Insider Monkey Score = 63.28
Positive view = 58%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 74%
A majority of the Dutch population, 58%, has a positive attitude towards Americans. Additionally, 74% of respondents agree that American entertainment remains superior in the Western world, making the Netherlands the 10th cheapest country for American tourists.
9. Brazil
Insider Monkey Score = 63.99
Positive view = 63%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 66%
In 2023, 483,000 American tourists made their way to Brazil, leading to a tourism boom in the country. Around 63% of the Brazilian population has a positive opinion of Americans. Brazil saw a 7 percentage point increase in popularity among Americans since 2019.
8. Italy
Insider Monkey Score = 64.62
Positive view = 60%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 74%
Italy is among the ten most American-friendly European countries, with a total of 60% of the population having a positive attitude towards Americans. Italy has seen a 1-point decline in positive views since last year and a 14-point decline since 2021.
7. South Africa
Insider Monkey Score = 65.27
Positive view = 59%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 78%
South Africa was largely friendly towards Western countries, especially the USA. Around 59% of South Africans have a positive opinion of Americans, while 30% have a negative opinion of them. This favorability rate has seen an increase of 9 points from the last number recorded in 2019.
6. Kenya
Insider Monkey Score = 68.69
Positive view = 71%
Positive opinion of American entertainment = 64%
At 71%, Kenya's population overwhelmingly has a positive opinion of the USA. Only 22% have negative attitudes toward American citizens, which is among the lowest on this list. Around 64% of Kenyans are fans of the American entertainment and film industry.
Many American companies such as Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) and Cooper Companies (NASDAQ:COO) have also helped create a positive perception among Americans around the world.
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Disclosure: None. 25 countries that welcome Americans with open arms was originally published on Insider Monkey.