The 10 Best Countries for Digital Nomads All Have One Thing in Common

Abby Monteil
·2 min read
Beautiful bright cityscape in perspective. View on cobbled street with bicycles. Narrow street with colorful buildings in old historic center of Copenhagen. Red tiled roofs. Four people men go forward
Credit: Nadezhda Kharitonova / Shutterstock Credit: Nadezhda Kharitonova / Shutterstock

Having a full-time job doesn’t mean you have to stay in one set place or feel tied to a particular city anymore; it doesn’t even mean you have to be tied to one country. Thanks to the rise of digital nomad visas and remote work permits, seeing the world while balancing a 9-to-5 has never been easier.

If you have your sights set on hopping around Europe and holding down a full-time role, you’ll be happy to know there’s plenty of data to back up your decision. The VPN company NordLayer’s 2023 Global Remote Work Index evaluated and ranked 108 countries’ digital nomad-friendliness based on factors like economic and social safety and found that the top 10 countries for digital nomads are all located on the continent.

But which European countries offer the best options for digital nomads’ needs?

Denmark took first place for digital nomads, thanks to its top-tier cybersecurity, robust healthcare system, English proficiency, and social inclusivity. The Danish country does boast a notoriously high cost of living, so it might be helpful to take stock of what you can afford before buying a plane ticket. (If you’re not sure how to figure that out, Goats on the Road’s Digital Nomad Visa Calculator offers information on which digital nomad visas you can apply for based on your earnings.)

Bike over canal Amsterdam city. Picturesque town landscape in Netherlands with view on river Amstel.
Credit: Yasonya / Shutterstock Credit: Yasonya / Shutterstock

The Netherlands came in second on the overall list, and ranked second on NordLayer’s “social safety” list, which considers the social and physical security when living and working remotely, like crime rates, safety, equity, and human rights access and opportunities. In terms of digital and physical infrastructure, The Netherlands ranked eighth, according to NordLayer, for its digital capabilities, which takes into account its ability to provide and support a “stable, fast, and broad” internet.

Rounding out the top three on NordLayer’s list was Germany. Thanks to its major metropolitan centers like Munich and Berlin, it earned a spot as the fourth-strongest cyber security destination in the world.

n, Germany - April, 2019: People in public park on a sunny day near Museum Island and Berlin Cathedral
Credit: hanohiki / Shutterstock Credit: hanohiki / Shutterstock

Beyond Denmark, The Netherlands, and Germany, NordLayer named the following six countries as best for digital nomads: Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Estonia, Lithuania, Ireland, and Slovakia.

Believe it or not, the most popular European destination for American digital nomads didn’t make NordLayer’s top 10. According to a recent study by the online moving marketplace HireAHelper, the U.K. was crowned the most popular country to move to from the U.S. in 2023, factoring in data that shows more than 11,500 Americans did exactly that in the first half of 2023. 

For a detailed look at the 10 best European cities for digital nomads, you can read NordLayer’s full report here.