16 Least Racist Countries in the World in 2018

We are walking through the 21st century for quite some time now, and discussing racism is not just our right, but also our duty, and that’s why we decided to make a list of least racist countries in the World in 2018.

To be honest, even though nowadays most of the countries in the world have legal instruments to fight racism, still, there are places where those ‘different’ are far from accepted. In such places, some people think they are superior, and that feeling and their “strength” is based on differences in skin color, nationality as well as culture. However racism is, in the first line, an individual thing, and by labeling a country as racist, we are stereotyping. That’s why deciding on which country is racist and which isn’t is an ungrateful job. It really gets tricky when you try to understand which country is truly open-minded, and which isn’t because there are frequent cases of friendships between people of different skin colors, but when it comes to love relationships, this number is significantly reduced. Furthermore, it is a reason why we sought help from various forums like Quora and Reddit, each time we are dealing with this subject. Our main goal is to catch a glimpse of what the public has to say on the subject, as we managed to do in 12 Most Racist Countries Against Blacks in the World. Sometimes, we base our methodology on different studies and reports as evidenced in 15 Most Racist Countries in Europe. Either way, in both cases, we used really sad statistics and opinions in order to point out to the world that racism is still very much alive and that we are not doing enough to prevent it. There is no place for prejudice in this world; in this melting pot of cultures, races, and ethnicities.

What’s even sadder is that even 57% of citizens of the country which is (nowadays) a pioneer in fighting racism think their leader is a racist, although he claimed to be the least racist person. On the other occasion, he put African nations, El Salvador and Haiti in the same sentence with the words ‘shithole countries‘. It’s up to you to decide on whether Mr. President is a racist or not, but have in mind that denial is, as mental health experts claim, one of the common defense mechanisms. So, to round up – one swallow does not make a summer, or in this case scenario, the words of one man are definitely not a reflection of the opinion of a whole nation, as you will see later on our list. However, the question remains: what’s with that other 43%?

On the other hand, there are many countries whose citizens are more than happy to meet different people from all around the world, and if you want to know which Europian countries are just like that, well we made it easy — you can read all about that in 10 Least Racist Countries in Europe in 2017. After you’re done reading our today’s list, you can make some comparisons with this one.

The truth is that we all belong to only one race, and that’s the human one. Depending on what our origin is, the color of the skin varies from light to dark, and the main reason is the process of adaption to the climatic conditions. A long time ago scientists agreed on one thing — apart from visual differences, there are no other biological differences between people.

So, we started our research on least racist countries in the world in 2018 with The Washington Post’s map. Although it isn’t the most accurate measurement, it does show dominant public opinion. Basically, participants in more than 80 countries are asked what kind of person they’d want as a neighbor and based on their answers the countries were ranked as more or less tolerant of different races. Since this is the data from 2013, we decided to update it with our little survey. So we checked Quora as well and finally singled out 16 countries with lowest racism rate using both resources. To rank them properly, we used hate crimes statistics for each country; thus we consulted OSCE‘s and FBI‘s reports on the number of hate crimes. The data used is the latest we could find, and since racism is an issue that doesn’t change easily, we can assume that rankings are almost the same for the past few years. So, let’s start with our list of least racist countries in the world in 2018.

16. The UK

The United Kingdom is if not the greatest, then at least one of the greatest countries that colonized vast territories of the globe throughout history. Furthermore, racism was very much present in colonized countries, as well. However, the country managed to end up on our list of least racist countries in the world in 2018. How did that happen? The thing is that during the last few decades, people from all over the world came to this country because of the good job market. And the best part is that this country accepted them. Maybe now, the British want to make it right and to do quite the opposite to what they did through history. As it seems to us, nowadays in British culture exists an element of respecting every human being. However, that doesn’t mean that racism is not present in this country since, in 2016, 62 831 racism related crimes were reported. This does seem like a large number, but compared to other countries the UK still managed to take place on our list. Anyway, if you want to get to the UK as a tourist, or even to move there be sure that you will get a good and equal treatment.

15. Taiwan

Taiwanese have a good reputation being very open and friendly to foreigners and travelers. So if your plans are not to stay for too long in Taiwan, you will have more than a pleasant experience there. But, if you want to move to Taiwan, you will have to learn the Chinese language if you want to assimilate properly. You will not be treated badly if you choose not to, but in order to really be part of the community knowing Chinese language is an absolute must.

14. The USA

America is well known as a country of chances, and success is almost a sure thing if one is hardworking. The American nation is made of people who moved into this country for reasons we previously described, so becoming an American basically means to have privileges, rights, and freedom, while living together with people of different races and ethnicities who share a feeling of being American. However in 2016, 42 292 racism related crimes were reported, and even though this number is not small, we all know that America is a large country, so when we think in the context of population comparing to this number – it doesn’t seem so large anymore.

13. Argentina

Argentina is a country with a lot of immigrants from Europe as well as from other countries. It seems that everyone is welcome here. Argentines agree that there is no racism among them and that they just want to enjoy a good life and that’s exactly what placed them so high on our list of least racist countries in the world in 2018.

12. Brazil

Brazilians are warm people, and true hedonists – they enjoy tasty food, passionate dance, good laughter, etc., and most importantly, they are open-minded. Add to that fact that the country has almost a perfect climate and that it’s rich with beaches. It really is a wonder why in Brazil hate crimes, especially homophobic hate crimes were an issue a few years ago. According to Grupo Gay da Bahiai in the past few years, there were more than 1600 hate crimes. Even though this number doesn’t seem small, compared to some other countries, it is quite small, and that’s how Brazil gets to be 12th on our list of 16 least racist countries in the world in 2018.

11. Sweden

Sweden is one of the most desirable countries for immigrants. They really do have a steady economy and more than good living conditions, so people from all over the world are trying to become Sweden citizens. The best part is that people who come to Sweden, easily manage to find the job and they are treated as they are native. We can agree that 3439 racism related crimes were reported are not that big number comparing to the country’s population.

10. Australia

Well, we all know that Australia is a peaceful country and that it was never a part of a major, or any other kind of war. Also, the country’s laws are protecting immigrants since the 50s. Should I mention that in Australia exists more than one organization with the main goal to prevent racism, such as All Together Now, Online Hate Prevention Institute, etc.? Moreover, Australia is a rich country, which was open for immigrants through the history. It’s crystal clear why Australia is on our list of countries with lowest racism rate in 2018, right?

9. Chile

Chile is a multilingual and multicultural society. It’s a country and homeland to people of many different ethnicities and religions and the geographical isolation of their country is something that they almost glorify because it gives them possibilities for the creation of a homogeneous society. They are open to welcome anyone into their country, and that’s how they get to be on our list of least racist countries in the World in 2018.

8. The Netherlands

Netherland is well known for its tradition of being a good host for lots of tourists. Everyone who ever visited the Netherlands, and stayed for a few days in Amsterdam can tell you that it is one of the most liberal places in the world. It’s not just about the community where people from different background, race, nationality or religion live in peace together, it’s also about the most liberal law in Europe for sure, and in range with most liberal countries in the world. In 2016, ‘only’ 1723 racism related crimes were reported in this country, and even though every hate crime is a horrible event, this number comparing to other countries in the world is really low.

7. Canada

Canada ranks 7th on our list of least racist countries in the World in 2018. It is a large country with lots of potential for growth. It is multicultural and multi-ethnic country, with a good living standard. It is open to immigrants, treating them as natives and providing them really good living conditions. Only 563 racism related crimes were reported in 2016. So It is good to be in Canada in 2018.

6. Spain

Spanish people are very tolerant in many, many aspects. We could describe them as warm, loud people and their dominant mood is light, happy, and with lots of laughter and hugs. They openly show love for old friends as well as new ones. When we think about Spain as a touristic destination, we are in the mood for jumping in the first plane landing there, and it’s not just us, Spain is a very popular touristic destination, so people travel there because of Spaniard’s tolerant attitude, warm and loving nature. Most importantly, in 2016, 416 racism related crimes were reported so they clearly don’t have the racist mindset.

5. Singapore

Singaporeans respect all people, on the question would they mined to see other races as next door neighbors, they answer no! Singapore has one of the fastest growing economies, and they appreciate anyone who comes to their country to contribute the development.

4. Belgium

Did you know that Belgians are well known for their beer? That’s right, they make best beers in the world, and starting a day with the finest glass of beer is quite common there, so who would worry about racism when life looks just like that. All jokes aside, Belgians are kind of people who like sharing their beer with all the peoples of other race, nationality or religion. Moreover, in 2016, only 375 racism related crimes were reported in the whole country, and that’s why Belgium is on our list of 16 least racist countries in the World in 2018.

3. Norway

Statistics claim that Norway is a country where people are very open to meet new people, without any prejudice, and where only 347 racism related crimes were reported in 2015. Also, Norway is a country with serious social politics and strong social program for everybody. Since this political orientation has already become their tradition and something that is the first thing on our mind when we think about Norway, it’s no wonder how they get to be on our list of 16 least racist countries in the World in 2018.

2. New Zealand

Well, New Zealand is a ‘new country’ which is exactly why the country has a perfect law system protecting everyone who lives there, and why it’s open for immigrants – since that is how the country was built. So in New Zealand, there is almost no place for racism, or intolerance of any kind. We found the data claiming that in 2017 there were 325 complaints to the Human Rights Commission on the basis of “unlawful discrimination on the basis of consolidated race.”

And now, let’s see the number one on our list of least racist countries in the World in 2018.

1. Denmark

Denmark’s population is mostly shy, and they are not very good at making an open, positive first impression, but the reason for that sort of behavior is far from racism. It’s not really in their culture to be overly friendly, so if somebody doesn’t know that – it’s easy to mistake their cold manor for racism. Truth is everyone who visited Denmark had a pleasant time. There are only 141 racism related crimes reported in 2016 in this peaceful country and that’s why Denmark is the first on our list of least racist countries in the world in 2018.