The Peaceful and Antagonistic Reputation of the Czech Republic

In this post we will talk about the international reputation of the Czech Republic when it comes to interacting with humans in everyday life, so you better take a seat because the rankings are talking!

According to the internations.org survey “Finding Your Home Away from Home” and the independent.co.uk “World's 10 unfriendliest countries for expats revealed” The Czech Republic is one of the top ten antagonistic countries in the world! Sharing the disreputable position with nations like Hungary, Saudi Arabia and Sweden…

If you google: “Is the Czech Republic unfriendly?”  You would find negative comments like; rude waiters, angry taxi drivers, bad touristic service… And as an ex-expat in Prague I can't deny there is a little of truth about those rumours; anyway, these comments are not applicable to all the people!

Now let's talk about the bright and shiny side of the Czech Republic. According to the ranking made by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the Franz Kafka's nation is located in the top 10 most peaceful countries in the world! Sharing this honorable place with countries like Japan, New Zealand and Iceland. The ranking is based on 23 indicators grouped into three criteria (societal safety and security; extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict; and degree of militarization). If you have been to Prague or Brno you know how safe are the streets and how low are the criminal rates.

Now that we know the position of the Czech Republic in the international panorama let’s reflect and ask ourselves; What is more important: to feel well treated in the daily life services such as restaurants and transportation or to feel safe walking through the streets late at night knowing there's almost zero chance of being assaulted? To be more clear I am going to give you an example… The place I am from is on the other side of each ranking. Mexico is the 3rd most friendly country in the world for expats, but is also among the top 20 most violent countries in the world! This irony or duality brings me to the conclusion that it can't be all perfect in a country! Life is to enjoy and to adapt, so we should learn to get along with the goods and bads of our geographical location.