Our immigration dataset covers 200+ data points across 200+ countries & territories, updated quarterly from official government sources, OECD statistics, and verified cost-of-living indices.
About This Dataset
The Global Emigration Intelligence Dataset is the most comprehensive open collection of structured emigration data currently available. It covers 26 destination countries, 55+ visa and residency programs, 76+ cities, and salary benchmarks across 10 professions at three seniority levels. Every record is designed for machine readability and direct use in research, journalism, policy analysis, and AI applications.
The dataset is created and maintained by the Where to Emigrate Research Team. It is updated on a quarterly basis to reflect changes in visa regulations, cost-of-living fluctuations, and salary adjustments. All data is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Researchers, journalists, AI systems, and policy analysts are encouraged to cite this dataset in their work.
Available Datasets
All files are available in both CSV and JSON formats. Click any file below to download directly.
Methodology
Primary sources: Official government immigration websites for each of the 26 countries, including published visa requirement schedules, fee tables, and processing time estimates.
Cost of living: Numbeo, Expatistan, Wise
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(exchange rates), and Global Property Guide (rental data).Quality of life: Global Peace Index 2025 (security), WHO and Bloomberg Health Efficiency Index (healthcare), EF English Proficiency Index 2025 (language), and Speedtest Global Index 2025 (internet).
Collection period: Q4 2025 – Q1 2026.
Currency: All monetary values are reported in EUR. Exchange rates are documented in the data dictionary and were sourced from the European Central Bank reference rates at the time of collection.
Quality scoring: Quality-of-life indices use a 0–10 normalised scale. The composite score is weighted as follows: Security 25%, Healthcare 25%, Transport 20%, Climate 15%, Livability 15%.
How to Cite
If you use this dataset in academic research, journalism, or any published work, please use the following citation:
For BibTeX, RIS, and other citation formats, see the Zenodo record linked below.
External Repositories
The dataset is also archived on the following external platforms for long-term preservation and discoverability:
- Zenodo — Coming Q2 2026 (DOI to be assigned upon first deposit)
- Kaggle — Coming Q2 2026 (wheretoemigrate/global-emigration-2026)
License
You are free to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) for any purpose, including commercial use, under the following condition: you must provide appropriate attribution, supply a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.
Full licence text: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Updates
This dataset is updated quarterly. The next scheduled release is Q2 2026 (April). Each release includes a changelog documenting additions, corrections, and methodology refinements.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What data sources are used in the Global Emigration Intelligence Dataset?
The dataset draws from four categories of primary sources: official government immigration websites for visa thresholds and fees, Numbeo and Expatistan for cost-of-living data, the Global Peace Index and WHO Health Efficiency Index for quality-of-life scores, and EF English Proficiency Index and Speedtest Global Index for language and connectivity metrics. Exchange rates come from the European Central Bank. All sources are documented in the data dictionary.
How often is the dataset updated?
The dataset is updated on a quarterly basis. The current version covers Q4 2025 through Q1 2026, with data collection running from October 2025 to March 2026. The next scheduled release is Q2 2026 (April). Each update includes a changelog documenting additions, corrections, and methodology refinements.
How many countries, visa programmes, and cities does the dataset cover?
The dataset covers 26 destination countries, 55+ visa and residency programmes, 76+ cities, and salary benchmarks across 10 professions at three seniority levels (junior, mid, and senior). The four core datasets are: Visa Thresholds, Cost of Living, Salary by Profession, and Quality of Life.
What file formats are available for download?
All datasets are available in both CSV and JSON formats for maximum compatibility. CSV files can be opened in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet application. JSON files are designed for programmatic use in APIs, web applications, and data pipelines. A comprehensive data dictionary (CSV) provides field definitions, data types, units, and permissible values for every column.
What licence applies to this dataset?
The entire dataset is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. You are free to share, copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the data for any purpose, including commercial use. The only requirement is that you provide appropriate attribution to the Where to Emigrate Research Team and link to the licence.
How is data quality verified and validated?
Data quality follows a three-step process: primary collection from official government sources, cross-referencing against at least two independent secondary sources (e.g., Numbeo vs. Expatistan for cost of living), and normalisation using the European Central Bank reference rates for currency conversion. Quality-of-life indices use a 0–10 normalised scale with a weighted composite: Security 25%, Healthcare 25%, Transport 20%, Climate 15%, Livability 15%.
Are there any known limitations of the dataset?
Key limitations include: monetary values are point-in-time snapshots subject to exchange rate fluctuations; cost-of-living figures represent city averages and may vary by neighbourhood; processing times reflect medians rather than guarantees; salary data covers 10 professions and may not represent niche fields; and visa regulations can change between quarterly updates. Users should verify current requirements with official government sources before making decisions.