Did you know there are 26 English speaking non extradition countries in the world? To say a country is non extradition means that it holds no extradition treaty with the United States.
What is an extradition treaty? It’s the agreement that allows one country to transfer a suspected or convicted criminal back to their home country for trial. In other words, many people who are in trouble with the law choose to flee to their non extradition countries to hide. No extradition meaning what countries do not extradite back to the US where they’re in trouble.
But it’s a lot more difficult to hide in a country that doesn’t speak your language. Finding and hiring an English translator is no piece of cake in some countries, and you won’t get very far without communicating with at least a few of the locals.
But, believe it or not, there are a few non extradition countries that do have English speakers, in fact English is an official language in some. We helped find those countries for you, and ranked them on a scale of least to most English speakers.
Though there are no South American countries without extradition and no non extradition countries in the UK, Africa and the Middle East hold plenty of them. There are also no non extradition countries in the Caribbean, but a few are peppered throughout the South Pacific.
First, we found out what countries have no extradition treaties with the United States. Then we went to the World Factbook for information about which countries speak English. In this list, each country is listed along with their various official and unofficial languages.
Countries that held English as an official language received 5 points, while countries with English as a second language got 4 points. Three points were awarded to countries where English is taught in schools, countries where government and business officials speak English received a 2, and countries where English speakers composed less than 5% of the population got 1 point (there were only two of those countries and they’re not counted as part of the list, but listed at the very end of the article).
However, don’t forget to read up a little on the local language(s) as well before traveling to these countries. Even though English is an official language in over half of the countries with no extradition laws, that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone speaks it. Some of them have 3 to 4 official languages, and even more indigenous languages take up a smaller percentage.
So keep in mind that just because a country has 5 points doesn’t mean everyone in it is well versed in the English language. That’s actually a long shot. Also, since the polls in the World Factbook were calculated through the census, there are a few in some countries who refused to answer at all. All the disclaimers are described in the list.
You could also arm yourself with the phrases you’ll need to know the most in the local language(s) such as “Where’s the nearest restroom?” and, if you enjoy typical American food… “I’d like to order a hamburger and fries.” You should be able to handle it from there. They also say the best way to learn a language is to be immersed in its culture, so this might be a great opportunity for you. Might as well learn a few things while you’re running from the law.
And speaking of, you might also be interested in our list of 11 easiest countries to disappear in.
So, which are the English Speaking Non Extradition Countries in the World? Here are 26. Best of luck escaping prison!