SA takes first place in world’s friendliest nations list

written by Savanna Douglas May 28, 2024

Friendliness goes a long way. Whether it’s a smile from a stranger passing by on the street or a group of kind-hearted locals banding together to make a difference where it counts – kindness is a colour the world could do with more of.

For this reason, South Africa’s recent ranking as the world’s friendliest country is a recognition we’ll wear with pride.

A relocation group, Remlity, recently conducted a study to find out which of the world’s nations are the friendliest.

Over 3000 participants across the globe were asked to answer a series of questions based on the Big 5 Personality Test.

The test incorporates five key points known as ‘the five-factor model of personality’ or'”OCEAN model’, a grouping of five unique characteristics used to study personality.

With the ‘agreeableness’ aspect of the personality test deemed as the most effective way to gauge social harmony specifically, the study focused its questions purely on the agreeableness factor to identify the world’s friendliest nations.

The findings ranked Greece, Croatia, Mexico and Sweden within the top 5 friendliest countries worldwide, with South Africa snagging first place.

Unsplash / Priscilla Du Preez

Key findings from the study showed that Mzansi scored an impressive 34.63 out of 40 on the ‘agreeableness’ trait of the Big 5 Personality Test.

Greece trails not far behind, scoring 33.71 on the test.

Croatia takes third place, scoring 33.5 out of 40 in the global study.

Remlity described South Africa as beautiful and diverse – a choice destination for those looking to relocate.

While South Africans would not necessarily agree, the report highlighted Mzansi’s ‘affordable cost of living’ as a major advantage when considering relocation.

“One of the major advantages of living in the country is the affordable cost of living where the South African rand stretches far, with housing and everyday expenses allowing for a higher standard of living,” it stated.

“It also has an incredible array of wildlife to see, and a warm climate helping residents to enjoy and explore the long stretches of beautiful coastline,” it added.

Participants in the study considered South Africans as warm and welcoming, with our humour, eleven official languages and rap for being social butterflies all contributing towards SA’s ‘world’s friendliest’ win.

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Feature Image: Unsplash / Mei Ling