We always suspected it, but now a global survey has confirmed it: South Africa is the world’s friendliest nation!
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According to new research by the payments gateway Remitly, which surveyed 3000 people from 27 countries on the ‘agreeableness’ trait of the Big 5 Personality Test, a globally recognised and standardised personality assessment.
You can review their research methodology here, but essentially they asked travellers to vote on a 40-point scale of ‘agreeableness’, using the results to calculate an average ‘friendliness’ score for each country.
Leading the Remitly list of the world’s friendliest nations is South Africa, which scored an impressive 34.63 out of 40.
And we couldn’t agree more: it’s a place where strangers will smile at you on the street, and you’ll never lack an impromptu chat while waiting in a queue. Need help with directions? Locals will be more than happy to assist, in any one of our 11 official languages.
Greece secured second place, scoring 33.71, while Croatia took third with 33.5 out of 40. Mexico and – perhaps surprisingly – Sweden completed the top five.
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Picture: Thomas Turck / Gallo Images