Which South American countries suit expats best, according to published data?

Five measures for twelve states, and what each one means

The UNDP Human Development Index combines life expectancy, years of schooling and income. We use the 2025 report, which holds 2023 values, and its position among 193 entries. The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators give estimates on a scale from about minus 2.5 to plus 2.5; we use the 2025 estimates for government effectiveness, rule of law and political stability. They draw on perception data from 35 sources and are best read as estimates, not exact ratings.

The Global Peace Index 2026 ranks 163 countries on 23 indicators, and Suriname is not one of them. Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2025 scores 182 countries from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean) for perceived public-sector corruption. EF's English Proficiency Index 2025 ranks 123 countries and regions by test results of adults. Guyana and Suriname are not in it.

EF is open about a weakness that applies here: the people who take its online test choose to do so. A score therefore describes test takers, not a whole population, and it can skew either way.

All twelve states, ordered by UNDP position

The table shows every South American state with a UNDP position, ordered by that position. The three highest, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, are the only ones in the top 50 of the 193-entry table, which is our filter for the shortlist that follows. Everything below that line is real data too, and a reader with a specific need, such as a particular language, may reasonably look beyond it.

The governance columns show a clear divide. Uruguay's three estimates are all above 0.8, Chile's effectiveness and rule-of-law estimates are positive with a stability estimate of 0.17, and Argentina sits near zero on all three. Every state other than Chile and Uruguay has a negative rule-of-law estimate, and Venezuela is lowest on all three, at minus 1.39, minus 2.20 and minus 1.51.

Uruguay, Chile and Argentina: three different profiles

Uruguay is the only South American state with all three governance estimates above 0.8. They are 0.86, 0.94 and 1.30, and its peace index position is 43rd. Its Transparency International score of 73 ranks 17th in the world, ahead of France (66) and the United States (64). Its UNDP position is 48th. The constraint is size: it is a small country, and the dataset cannot say whether a particular town offers the services or work a newcomer needs.

Chile has the highest human development figure on the continent, 0.878, the longest life expectancy at 81.2 years, and the strongest government effectiveness estimate, 1.04. Its rule-of-law estimate is 0.68 and its political stability estimate only 0.17, which keeps it from passing a strict governance filter. Its corruption score is 63, joint 31st in the world. On the peace index it is 52nd.

Argentina sits between the two on human development (47th) and has the highest expected years of schooling on the continent, 18.8. Its governance estimates are close to zero (0.28, minus 0.10 and 0.16), its corruption score is 36 and its peace position is 72nd. It is also the only South American country in EF's high English band.

Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and the rest: a different set of trade-offs

Beyond the top three, no state clears zero on rule of law, and positions on the peace index run from 64th (Paraguay) and 92nd (Bolivia) down to 141st (Colombia). That does not make these places unliveable. It means that, on national data, the strengths of countries such as Peru, Colombia and Brazil lie elsewhere: size, culture, the range of cities and regions, and in the case of Colombia and Brazil, a large and varied job and education market that no index here measures.

Guyana and Suriname are easy to miss. Guyana's governance estimates (0.15, minus 0.31 and 0.20) are close to Argentina's and its peace position is 103rd; Suriname's political stability estimate, 0.60, is the second highest on the continent after Uruguay's, but it has no peace index position and no EF score. Both have different official languages from the rest of the continent, which is itself a factor for many expats.

The second table adds the corruption score, English proficiency, life expectancy and expected schooling. Life expectancy runs from 81.2 years in Chile to 68.6 in Bolivia, a gap of 12.6 years.

Language on the ground: Spanish, Portuguese, English and Dutch

Wikipedia's overview of the continent's languages says Portuguese is the most spoken language in South America, with Spanish a close second; the article's table lists Spanish in ten South American countries. Paraguay gives Guarani official status alongside Spanish, and Bolivia lists Quechua, Aymara and Tupi Guarani as co-official languages alongside Spanish. Peru gives official standing to Quechua, Aymara and other indigenous languages where they predominate, and Ecuador to Quechua and Shuar for intercultural relations. English is official in Guyana and Dutch in Suriname.

EF's 2025 scores put Argentina in the high English band (575), Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru and Chile in the moderate band (517 to 542), and Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador in the low band (466 to 482). Remember the sample is self-selected. A moderate score does not mean you will get by in English in a government office or a small town, and daily life in most of the continent runs in Spanish or Portuguese.

What national data cannot tell a newcomer

Four limits matter most. First, national averages hide enormous regional spread: altitude, climate, infrastructure and safety differ sharply inside every country on the list. Second, perception indices describe how experts and business people rate institutions, not how a foreigner is treated by a landlord, a doctor or a clerk. Third, none of the datasets measures the cost of living, the job market or the quality of schools, and we use no price data here. Fourth, rules for visas, work and residence are set by each government, change often and differ by nationality, so we give no guidance on them.

For any shortlisted country, the practical steps are to read the official government immigration site, your own government's travel advice, and local sources such as national statistics offices and universities. Treat this page as a map of which questions to ask, not as an answer.

Setting up in a serviced apartment for the first weeks

A move often starts before the long-term home is chosen. A furnished serviced apartment can serve as a base for the first weeks while you compare neighbourhoods and sort out practical matters, and a kitchen and a desk are the features that matter most for a longer stay. Our guides on serviced apartments for relocation and monthly serviced apartments explain what is typically included and what to ask.

City hubs for the countries above include Santiago, Buenos Aires, Medellin, Bogota, Lima and Rio de Janeiro. You can filter to long-stay options in Buenos Aires or apartments with a kitchen in Santiago. Our hubs follow the legacy spelling Columbia for Colombia in their addresses. For a comparison on the same method in another region, see best countries to live in Europe.