Countries that are fighting racism against Black students

No country is free of racists, and while finding the least racist countries for Black students might be difficult, don’t give up just yet.

Racism has been around for a long time, causing wars and enslaving millions. It is still experienced by billions of people every day — including international students.

While all minority groups are affected, Black students face a special set of circumstances and treatment that put them at a disadvantage compared to other students.

In one UK report, more than half of Black students surveyed said they had been victims of racism while living in UK student accommodation, and nearly two-thirds had witnessed racism.

“These experiences ranged from insensitivity around things like hair or food, to the use of racial slurs, to spitting, shouting and physical violence,” found the 2022 report, “Living Black at University.”

In the US, Black students have increased anxiety and poor mental health outcomes as a result of racism, according to one study.

In another survey report made in 2020 by the United Negro College Fund, historically Black colleges and universities students said it’s been hard to “cope with the constant death and sickness around me.”

One student said: “Dealing with Covid-19, the police brutality, and trying to come up with money to pay for the fall semester is [causing] me a lot of stress and anxiety because either way it’s the stress of trying not to get sick, not getting killed by police or finding a way to pay for school that has me on edge.”

It’s a bleak outlook for the US but the good news is there are countries that do better than this.

The 3 least racist countries towards Black students in the world

Many Black students are fighting for the right to racial equality in education. Source: Paras Griffin/AFP

Portugal

In late 2023, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released a study that surveyed racism across 13 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.

Portugal was named the least racist country, with 17% of respondents experiencing discrimination based on their race or ethnicity, according to the FRA. In comparison, Austria topped the list with 67% of respondents experiencing race or ethnic-based discrimination.

Better yet, Portugal has been actively taking steps to acknowledge and address its role in the slave trade back in the 15th century.

A little history lesson (that was well-written by this National Geographic article): Portugal was not just a participant in colonialism; it pioneered the trade in chattel slavery. In 1444, the small nation began transporting sub-Saharan Africans to Europe. In 1526, Portugal transported its first shipment of enslaved people to Brazil, effectively launching the transatlantic slave trade.

Now, when you walk the streets of Portugal’s capital Lisbon, you’ll find more than 20 historical street markers to honour the contributions of Africans and their descendants.

If you’re thinking of studying here, check out the University of Lison, the University of Minho, and Porto Business School.

Aside from being one of the least racist countries, Poland is a pretty LGBTQ+ friendly country too. Source: AFP

Poland

In the same FRA study, Poland was revealed to rank second as the least racist country, with 19% of respondents experiencing discrimination based on their race or ethnicity.

Regarding the context in which they had experienced discrimination, only 3% of respondents in Poland said it had happened in relation to education.

There’s even better news for those looking to stay in Poland for the long term — since 2018, Poland has issued more first residence permits to immigrants from outside the European Union than any other member state.

One Redditor comments, “The only racism in Poland that occurs towards people of different skin colour is grandmothers and grandfathers from small towns (less than 10,000 inhabitants) staring at a black person. But I have the impression that they don’t mean it in a bad way, it’s just possible that they are seeing a black person for the first/second time (something like, for example, people from villages in the middle of the Amazon forest or the middle of Africa, where a white person with blue eyes and blond hair has not yet arrived, same curiosity).”

The comment continues with, “There are still bald and young ‘patriots,’ but they are the ones who are negative towards everyone, whether white or black or whatever. Fortunately, compared to around 2005, there are fewer and fewer of them.”

Considering studying in Poland? Check out the University of Warsaw, Jagiellonian University, and Warsaw University of Technology.

Protesters attend a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2020, in solidarity with protests raging across the US over the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)

Sweden

Sweden ranked third on the list of least countries racist from the FRA study, with 21% of respondents experiencing discrimination based on their race or ethnicity.

A Swedish Redditor comments, “We don’t care about skin colour; as many say, we care more about culture, or to be honest, I think it’s more that we expect people to be respectful. As an example, if your religion says that (being) LGBTQ is bad, keep it to yourself.”

However, Sweden has been put under the spotlight for for erasure of cultural differences.

Lola Akinmade Åkerström, a Nigerian photographer, speaker, travel storyteller, and author, wrote an article titled, “Sweden is regularly voted one of the world’s ‘happiest’ places – but as a Black woman I don’t always agree” on Cosmopolitan in 2023.

The article highlighted Åkerström’s experience living in Sweden, and in it, she writes a quote saying, “[I] feel like I have to be less Nigerian in order to be fully Swedish.”

Check out some Swedish universities like KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Mälardalen University, and Chalmers University of Technology. We’ve compiled a list of affordable options here too.

Disclaimer: This article was last updated on September 12, 2024.