It is estimated¹ that more than 270 million people around the world live in a country other than their own, meaning that international migration is at an all-time high. Finding the right place to work and live is one of the most important parts of moving to a new city, but equally important is having a community of friends who share similar interests and passions, in order to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.
 
In the digital age of the 2020s, there are many ways that people can meet up and find local groups and clubs, from social media apps like TikTok or Facebook, to platforms such as Meetup. With this in mind, we wanted to find out which cities around the world make it easiest for new residents to make friends and find new communities in their new area, based on how many Meetup groups can be found in each destination.
 
We studied Meetup data to discover which cities have the highest number of communities per person. To do this, we analysed the number of Meetup groups available within a five-mile radius of the top 100 most populated cities in North America, South America, Europe, Oceania, Asia and Africa. The number of available Meetup groups for each city was divided by the city population size and multiplied by 10,000 to give the number of groups available per 10,000 people.
 
Each country was then ranked accordingly per continent, to reveal the most community-spirited cities around the world. Read on to see where your nearest city ranks…

Long-term immigration was estimated at around 1.2 million² in 2022, and with so many cities in the nation offering migrants an exciting new place to live, we decided to delve into the UK data to reveal the top 20 cities in the country that offer residents the most opportunities to find new communities. In first place was Cambridge, offering almost ten Meetup groups per 10,000 population, with groups ranging from dog lover communities to meditation groups.
 
Brighton ranked in second place, perhaps unsurprisingly, with the city being famed for welcoming locals. The coastal city offers a total of just over 200 Meetup groups, meaning those new to the area have many opportunities to meet new people and try out a new skill or hobby. Northern city Manchester (376 groups) followed in third spot, while Scotland’s capital Edinburgh (288 groups) and university city Oxford (95 groups) rounded off the top five.
 
The nation’s capital city London ranks 16th, offering over 2,600 clubs in total – the equivalent of just under three groups per 10,000 people when accounting for population.

In North America, Seattle topped the list as the city offering the most Meetup groups in the continent – and indeed, more than any other city in the world when accounting for population.
 
It’s clear that the city’s ‘Seattle Freeze’ label — earned by its reputation as being a difficult place to make friends — may be thawing, with 1,774 listed Meetup groups in the city, ranging from art and culture to health and wellbeing.
 
Boston, the capital and largest city of the US state of Massachusetts, ranked in second spot, offering new residents over 1,000 Meetup groups and an abundance of opportunities to meet like-minded people. In third spot was Vancouver, the only Canadian city to rank in the top 10, offering just under 13 groups per 10,000 population.
 
Despite offering over 3,000 community groups to people in its local area – the highest number of total groups than any other city – New York City ranked 15th, with just under four Meetup groups per 10,000 people. In the city that never sleeps though, it’s clear that there are still lots of opportunities for migrants to find new friends and activities in the area.

In South America, it was Buenos Aires – Argentina’s cosmopolitan capital city – which topped the list of cities with the most community spirit. Brazilian cities, including Florianopolis, Campos dos Goytacazes, Campinas, and Belo Horizonte, dominated the top 10, with four of the top-ranking cities found in the nation.
 
Outside of Brazil, Montevideo (Uruguay), Medellin (Colombia) and Asuncion (Paraguay) were also found to offer new residents ample opportunities to mingle with their new neighbours.

In Europe, it was Switzerland’s largest city Zurich which topped the rankings, offering an incredible 16.9 Meetup groups per 10,000 people. Groups in the city cater to enthusiasts across a whole range of hobbies and interests, from board games or photography to indoor football or swimming. Anyone newly settled in the city certainly won’t face a lack of opportunities to meet new friends.
 
Dublin (654 groups), famed for its friendliness to migrants and visitors alike, and Barcelona in Spain (1,541 groups) followed to complete the top three, while Portugal’s capital city Lisbon (488 groups) and Manchester (376 groups) rounded off the top five.
 
UK cities dominated the top 20 European most community-spirited cities, with Edinburgh and Bristol also ranking in the top 10, and Glasgow, London and Leeds all placing in the top 20 too, offering residents hundreds of different groups and communities to explore upon moving to each of these popular UK cities.
 
Despite the stereotype of French people sometimes being unfriendly, two French cities – Lyon (226 groups) and Paris (1,016 groups) – ranked in the top 10, each offering new residents in the area a host of opportunities to meet new friends and join communities, with almost five Meetup groups per 10,000 people.

Some of Oceania’s most visited cities also offered new residents lots of opportunities to get stuck into new communities and cultures, and it is New Zealand’s capital city Wellington which ranks as the most community-minded city in the continent, boasting 4.6 Meetup groups per 10,000 people.
 
Language groups, spiritual communities and hiking clubs are amongst the Meetup groups on offer for those thinking about moving to Wellington, which is famed for its wide array of music, arts and culture.
 
Four other New Zealand cities – Christchurch (131 groups), Auckland (423 groups), coastal city Dunedin (22 groups) and Nelson (11 groups) – ranked in the top ten most community-spirited cities, revealing lots of opportunities for those new to New Zealand to find their feet.
 
The capital of Australia, Canberra, ranked in third spot with an average of almost three Meetup groups per 10,000 people, while Sydney – which received over 8.8 million domestic visitors³ and almost 400,000 migrants⁴ in 2022 – ranked in fourth spot, offering new residents almost 1,500 different Meetup groups to find new friends and discover the local community.

With over 1.4 million foreigners employed in Singapore as of December 2022⁵, perhaps it was no surprise that the metropolis ranked first, offering migrants a wealth of different communities and clubs to try out. Singapore boasts over 1,000 Meetup groups in total, the equivalent of almost two per 10,000 population.
 
Bengaluru (also known as Bangalore), the capital of India’s southern Karnataka state, follows Singapore as the city where it’s easiest to make friends. The city offers people new to the area 448 Meetup groups to explore, with groups ranging from book clubs to sports teams.
 
Rounding off the top five community-spirited cities in Asia were Hong Kong, and Japanese cities Osaka and Tokyo, with each destination offering hundreds of opportunities to make new, like-minded friends in the area.

When looking at the African cities with the most community spirit, it was South Africa’s capital city Cape Town which topped the rankings, with a total of 153 Meetup groups – the equivalent of 0.3 groups per 10,000 people, when taking population into account.
 
South Africa’s biggest city Johannesburg followed in second spot, with a total of 133 groups, while Pretoria ranked in third spot with 15 Meetup groups to explore.

Have any of these community-spirited cities tempted you to make your move to somewhere new? If you’re ready to take the next step to a move abroad and are starting to plan for the future, you’ll be able to transfer money securely and conveniently with Remitly. Discover more and get some tips and advice on immigration in our blog.
 
How we researched the cities with the most community spirit
We analysed publicly available Meetup data, counting the number of Meetup groups available within a five-mile radius of the top 100 most populated cities in North America, Europe, Oceania, Asia, Africa and South America.
 
Our city populations are sourced from the following sources:
 

• World Population Review
• Wikipedia
• Geographist
   

We took the number of available Meetup groups for each city, divided it by the city’s population size and multiplied by 10,000. This gave us a figure representing the number of available Meetup groups per 10,000 people, which we used to rank each city according to its community spirit. Data correct as of November 2023.
 
Sources

1. World Migration Report
2. Office for National Statistics
3. Camper Champ
4. Australian Bureau of Statistics
5. Statista