Have you ever visited another country and been astounded by how welcoming everyone was? Or perhaps you’re planning your next trip and in need of inspiration? Searches for ‘thoughtful countries’ have seen a +88% increase in the past 12 months,1 and more people are focussing on eco-friendly travel, with 72% of the world’s travellers believing sustainable travel is important2.
A new study by greetings card company thortful.com has revealed the most thoughtful countries in the world. Thoughtfulness can be associated with how we treat other people but also with the climate and people’s right to a healthy environment.
Therefore, the study measured thoughtfulness in these five areas: volunteering levels, charitable giving, friendliness rankings, the number of electric cars and recycling rates.
The ranking of the top 10 most thoughtful countries is as follows:
|
Rank |
Country |
Volunteering score |
Charitable giving score |
Friendliness ranking |
No. of electric cars |
Recycling rate |
Total score |
| 1 | Indonesia |
0.6 |
0.83 |
2 |
658 |
7 |
6.16 |
| 2 | United States |
0.26 |
0.45 |
18 |
644800 |
34.6 |
6.078 |
| 3 | Australia |
0.3 |
0.61 |
20 |
21362 |
42.1 |
5.011 |
| 4 | Germany |
0.15 |
0.34 |
48 |
673600 |
47.83 |
4.714 |
| 5 | Kenya |
0.49 |
0.49 |
11 |
350 |
8 |
4.469 |
| 6 | United Kingdom |
0.22 |
0.59 |
34 |
311500 |
27.25 |
4.435 |
| 7 | Ireland |
0.26 |
0.45 |
12 |
16610 |
33 |
4.396 |
| 8 | India |
0.34 |
0.36 |
19 |
404980 |
5 |
4.323 |
| 9 | Thailand |
0.17 |
0.6 |
8 |
2620 |
19.1 |
4.113 |
| 10 | Netherlands |
0.21 |
0.56 |
29 |
95500 |
24.61 |
3.779 |
The study reveals that Indonesia tops the list as the most thoughtful country in the world (6.16). Indonesians have a worldwide friendliness ranking of two and came out on top as the country with the highest charitable giving score in the study! Overall, Indonesia proves to be a very thoughtful country, both for the inhabitants and their focus on the environment!
Taking second place is the United States, with an overall score of 6.078. Whilst they rank 18th for friendliness, their number of electric cars, charitable giving score and volunteering score bring them up to second in our index.
Not far behind in third is Australia, with a total score of 5.011. This country is known for its lovely coastal lines and coral reefs and is a great spot for travellers wanting to be met by thoughtful and considerate people whilst exploring Australia’s nature!
Other countries making the top ten were Germany (4.7), Kenya (4.46) and the United Kingdom (4.43), among others. While these countries didn’t make the top three, they scored high on the thoughtfulness index, and can be great places to travel to!
Regardless of where you choose to travel, it’s always nice to know the people you meet are friendly and thoughtful of their environment and interested in engaging in charitable work.
Commenting on the study, a spokesperson at thortful said, “At thortful, we’re all about acts of kindness, and are pleased to see that so many countries are friendly, participate in charitable work and are keen to help the environment, which will hopefully help any travel enthusiasts in the future decide on where they want to visit next!”
