Social Issues,CuriositiesAUG 11, 2025

26 People Who Left Third-World Countries Share What Surprised Them The Most About First-World Countries

There are 195 countries on the planet, and they’re all unique. That’s why when a person makes a drastic move from one nation to another, they’re guaranteed to experience some culture shock. Finding your favorite products at the grocery store can turn into a monstrous task, and learning how to communicate with the locals can make you feel like an alien. But these culture shocks can be even more prominent when a person's home country is halfway across the globe or has a vastly different GDP.

A couple of curious Reddit users reached out asking people who have relocated from developing nations to more industrialized nations what came as a shock to them, and readers were very honest about the surprises they encountered. Below, you’ll find a list of some of the most fascinating responses, as well as interviews we were lucky enough to receive from Malaysian writer U-Ming Lee and travel blogger and founder of The Roving Heart, Raksha Rao.

Be sure to upvote the responses that you agree with, or that introduced a new perspective to you, and let us know in the comments if you too have experienced moving from a lower income nation to a more affluent country. Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing the culture shock one person experienced after moving from India to the United States, you can find that right here!

More info: Reddit | Reddit

Read More: 30 People Who Left Third-World Countries Share What Surprised Them The Most About First-World Countries

#21

Police car with flashing lights at night, representing perspectives of people who left third-world countries.

I remember being pulled over for speeding and my uncle who just got here was like just give him $5 bucks and I told him that's not how it works here, lol

Freaking_Donk_2020

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#22

Stack of books and an open notebook with pen on a dark surface, illustrating experiences from third-world to first-world countries.

Laws and regulations actually mattered in first world countries

anon

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#23

Modern living room with stylish decor, brown sofa, green plants, and framed art on a dark teal wall, illustrating first-world comforts.

The fact houses came complete.

I come from Brazil, there the houses come all empty when you buy them, no kitchen, laundry, anything. You have to buy everything. I’m not sure if this is changed or not since I’ve moved to America a long time ago.

Another thing, safety. I almost died twice in Brazil and my mother couldn’t use her cellphone or calmly walk out of a bank or even drive with her purse out in the next seat, everything had to be hidden or you could be robbed or even killed. Whenever I go to Brazil to visit I always get tense and I get panic attacks because of the violence, also didn’t help the fact that I lived in one of the most, if not the most violent state

griffinspells

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