Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - InterNations.org recently released the results of its 2015 Expat Insider Survey, which ranks the best countries for expat living.

Expat Insider is among the biggest surveys worldwide to inquire into the living situation and happiness of expatriates. In order to complete the survey, they asked 14,000 participants from 195 countries a series of questions relating to their experiences living abroad.

InterNation's survey results have been broken down into several rankings and reports, like: Where do expats enjoy the best quality of living? Which countries are ideal for raising children? and Where can expats make the most of their budget?, among others.

In this article, we are focusing on their 'Ease of Settling In' index, which ranks the best places among 64 destinations across the globe Where Expats Feel at Home, based on: 1) how friendly the local population is; 2) how easy it is to make new friends; and 3) how easy and important it is to learn the local language. And the winners are:

1. Mexico

For the second year in a row, expats in Mexico have confirmed that it is the easiest country to settle down in. Most expats in Mexico (81%) feel at home in this country, with one-third completely satisfied in this regard, nearly double the global average (17%). Expats also find it easy to make local friends in Mexico. Seven in ten expats generally agree that this is easy, and one-quarter are even in complete agreement.

The majority of expats in Mexico are pleased with the general friendliness of the population and the friendliness shown towards foreign residents. A full 94% are generally happy with Mexicans' overall friendliness and 62% are even completely happy (more than double the global average of 30%). Around half of the expats in Mexico (51%) report that the local population is very friendly towards foreign residents, which is also over double the global average of nearly one-quarter (24%).

Speaking the local language is essential when settling down in Mexico, as 46% of respondents say getting by without it is difficult. Luckily, 64% also consider learning Spanish to be quite easy. About one-third of the local respondents (34%) can speak Spanish very well and 27% have fairly good Spanish language skills.

2. New Zealand

Almost all the expats in New Zealand (94%) generally find the local population friendly, and a majority (56%) even considers Kiwis to be very friendly. This is almost double the global average of 30%. In terms of friendliness towards foreign residents in particular, 84% are generally pleased in this regard, and 35% are completely satisfied. Expats in New Zealand don't find it very difficult to get used to the local culture, with 77% generally agreeing that they feel at home there. Almost one-third (32%) even feel completely at home, compared to a global average of 17%. Being able to speak the local language is regarded as important, as 57% agree that life is difficult in New Zealand if you can't speak English.

3. Ecuador

Ecuador holds the third place for the ease of settling in. A respectable 84% generally agree (compared to a global average of only 58%) that it is easy to settle down in Ecuador. Almost half of the survey participants in Ecuador (48%) couldn't be happier with the general friendliness they experience in Ecuador. Three-quarters of expats (76%) generally agree that finding friends is easy, and two in ten say it is very easy (the global average is one in ten). When it comes to friendliness towards foreign residents in particular, 35% of expats are very pleased. Of the survey respondents living in Ecuador, 68% generally regard it as difficult to live in Ecuador without speaking Spanish. Luckily, 31% can speak Spanish very well and a further 26% can speak it fairly well.

Honorable Mentions

One of the biggest gainers this year is Portugal, which climbed ten spots to claim 5th place. Other top spots for making expats feel at home are Malta at #4 & Costa Rica at #6.

Click HERE to see the complete Expat Insider's 2015 'Ease of Settling In' index.