Individualistic Countries 2024

Individualistic countries consist of people who take responsibility for their own well-being rather than relying on friends, government programs, or family to help them.

They value self-sufficiency and sometimes feel helpless and embarrassed about requesting assistance if they do need it. Individualistic societies also choose to pursue their own dreams and goals instead of falling prey to the pressure of what others want from them.

This doesn’t mean they don’t care about other people. In fact, it means the opposite – that they don't want to be a burden. That's why they try to accomplish as much as they can on their own.

Characteristics of Individualistic Countries

Most citizens in individualistic countries have their own place to live, a bank account, and a telephone. Everyone also usually has a job, at which they may just work for an employer and not for a team.

On the other hand, companies have often fought to change their cultures, making them more family-like instead of cubicle-based. Still, people working together may not always involve one another in their personal lives.

What’s more, people often pay professionals, such as a doctor, when they need help. Otherwise, they hire a moving van instead of asking a neighbor if they can borrow a truck for the occasion.

People who make lower incomes, however, may have more of a propensity for collaborating resources. For the ones who make less money, they seem to have no choice to get along with others, versus some wealthy people who just pay for assistance.

That’s not always true, however, whereas many affluent investors rely on mergers and partnerships to enhance business. Still, some countries seem to have a “businesslike” approach rather than a community approach to relationships.

Countries such as Australia, Ireland and Germany might fall under the individualistic “businesslike” category. They seem more entrepreneurial in nature even if not a capitalist nation like the United States.

The Most Individualistic Countries

Finland-based cultural analytics and strategy advisory thinktank Hofstede Insights ranks the United States as the most individualistic country in the world. Personal freedoms are a deeply held conviction for most Americans. Varying opinions exist as to whether American individualism can go too far at times, such as when many Americans refused to wear masks or follow recommended containment policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, or whether this self-determination makes Americans more resilient and even altruistic (because they wish to help one another directly rather than relying upon the government to do it) than they would be if individualism was lower.

Several additional countries also display very high levels of individualism. In 2023, Australia and the United Kingdom scored just one and two points behind the US (on a 100-point scale), and Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, and New Zealand all scored within 12 points of the US.