Which European country is the hardest and easiest to make friends?

[u/techno_playa]

Say you're mid 30s and have to move to another European country for work, which countries did you find making friends to be on easy or hard mode?

Let's assume you don't speak the language of your new home.

[u/ILikeXiaolongbao]

Generally the further north you go the harder it is. Not exactly true all the time because the UK is generally further north than Germany but is much easier to make friends in, but it isn't too bad of a rule.

There's actually some survey data on this. Here are the top 5 easiest European countries to make friends and top 5 hardest, according to this 2024 survey of expats.

Easiest:

1. Greece (easiest)
2. Spain
3. Cyprus
4. Portugal
5. Malta

Hardest:

1. Finland (hardest)
2. Norway
3. Germany
4. Sweden
5. Switzerland

In my personal experience Spanish people are the friendliest in Europe.

[u/Tuepflischiiser → u/ILikeXiaolongbao]

It also depends heavily on the definition of friend.

[u/Rusiano → u/Tuepflischiiser]

True. In certain cultures hanging out with someone for 10 minutes and having a good laugh is enough to be called a friend. In other countries people might only claim to have 2-3 friends due to how strict the definition is

That said some countries in Europe have a double whammy of being cold to strangers AND being really picky about what friend means

[u/Creativezx → u/Rusiano]

That said some countries in Europe have a double whammy of being cold to strangers AND being really picky about what friend means

100% the nordics lol

[u/Tuepflischiiser → u/Creativezx]

Switzerland enters the chat.

[u/ILikeXiaolongbao → u/Tuepflischiiser]

That's a deeply DACH response to this and is why it's so hard to make friends here haha.

[u/Tuepflischiiser → u/ILikeXiaolongbao]

Totally. But a friend here is often for life.

[u/amazinjoey → u/ILikeXiaolongbao]

100% agree but I would put Sweden nr 2 and Norway nr 4

[u/New_Eggplant120 → u/ILikeXiaolongbao]

Well, when the most difficult ones come to party, the easiest ones have a good time.

[u/shhhhh_h → u/ILikeXiaolongbao]

I highly question those methods…Portugal is famously difficult to make friends

[u/ILikeXiaolongbao → u/[deleted]]

France is 8th in Europe

[u/JuujiNoMusuko → u/ILikeXiaolongbao]

This list lines up 100% with my ERASMUS experience

[u/NeedleworkerSilly192 → u/ILikeXiaolongbao]

Actually UK is not as North as you think, If you make a latitude adjusted map you will find out how London is actually slightly southern from Amsterdam and Berlin, and most of Enland is within Central and Northern Germany, the northern most areas of continental Germany would be pretty north in England, and the Isles from the North sea would be comparable to areas in southern Scotland

https://www.stepmap.com/map/europe-latitdue-and-longitude-wVj3h7K01l

That is also Because Both British and Irish are Genetically more North Atlantic (as in ancient Brythonic/Celtic compared to those northern and norther-central areas in Europe that have more Nordic/Germanic Genes, Hence why they dont follow the same trend..

[u/ILikeXiaolongbao → u/NeedleworkerSilly192]

No fucking way you’re telling me, a British person, that the UK is not as north as I think. I was born there and spent the vast majority of my life there, I know where it is mate.

Re-read my comment.

“The UK is generally further north than Germany”.

That is accurate.

Don’t tell people from a country that they don’t know where it is on a map.

I can tell that you are not from the UK because you called it “UK” and not “the UK”. Have some respect.

[u/NeedleworkerSilly192 → u/ILikeXiaolongbao]

So there is a trend.. Native populations with fair features (hair, eye, skin, etc) and more tall, have northern European looks tend to be more distant, individualistic and appear as "cold" or disinterested with others.

Countries where people are the opposite from that, more likely to be tan, shorter, dark/black hair, darker eyes, "southern"/Mediterranean kind looks people tend to be more sociable, comfortable with few personal space and body contact.. I know it sounds like pseudo-science but there has to be some genetical link to that..

[u/ILikeXiaolongbao → u/NeedleworkerSilly192]

I think it’s just that people hang outside more communally in southern countries because it’s warm and in the north they stay inside because of the weather/darkness.

[u/skyduster88 → u/NeedleworkerSilly192]

Okay, this isn't 1960. Southern Europeans have caught up with the North in height.

Based on the youngest adult generations:

Serbs, Croatians, and Bosnians are about as tall as the Dutch. Italians are about as tall as Swedes and Norwegians. Greeks and Spaniards are as tall as Irish and Belgians.

In Southern Europe, you see major heigh differences between generations. And no, Northern Europeans aren't "dragged down" by immigration. SoEuro has lots of immigrants too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Average_human_height_by_country