When it comes to choosing a place to live or travel, many people are inspired by a desire for warmer temperatures. After all, there’s a reason why people nicknamed snowbirds flock to places like Arizona and Florida, with the latter offering warm beaches even in winter.
To help you avoid the chilliest places on the planet, here are the countries with the lowest average temperatures. These might not be the places with the absolute lowest temperatures ever recorded on Earth, but their averages mean you’re unlikely to experience super-hot days in these places. Rather, plan for the cold no matter which season you visit.
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7 Norway
Norway’s yearly average temperature is 35.98 °F
Despite its bitingly-cold winter temperatures (and year-round chill), Norway receives countless tourists each year. In 2023, Norway welcomed over 5.6 million international travelers, though no word on what season they visited in. Even in summer, you might want to pack at least a lightweight sweater to protect against the chill. In the winter, you might want to skip travel altogether — or bring a snowsuit.
- Yearly average temperature: 35.98 °F
- Average winter temperature: -18.2 °F
- Average summer temperature: 57 °F to 65 °F
6 Iceland
Iceland’s yearly average temperature is 35.33 °F
Iceland is a gorgeous place to visit, but it’s freezing in winter, and not much better in summer. The two seasons vary by more than 40 degrees on average, making the middling temperature a crisp and nose-bitingly cold 35.33 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s not to say Iceland isn’t worth visiting if you dress warmly, however. Iceland is said to be the quietest and most peaceful place on Earth, which puts it on the tourism map despite the cold.
- Yearly average temperature: 35.33 °F
- Average winter temperature: 14 °F to 32 °F
- Average summer temperature: 50 °F to 59 °F
5 Mongolia
Mongolia’s yearly average temperature is 33.93 °F
Mongolia is home to the Gobi Desert, which you might think means the country is rather warm. However, Mongolia has some of the lowest temperatures on average, despite getting fairly warm in the summer. Most deserts do get cold at night, of course, and Mongolia’s is no exception. Not only that, but Mongolia’s less extreme seasons (spring and fall) are nearly as chilly as winter. The only time it really warms up is mid-summer.
- Yearly average temperature: 33.93 °F
- Average winter temperature: 14 °F to 22 °F
- Average summer temperature: 60 °F to 89 °F
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4 Greenland
Greenland’s yearly average temperature is -1.62 °F
Many of the coldest places on the planet are in Antarctica rather than a country, but Greenland does make its way onto the list. In fact, Greenland is the coldest country in the world, and has sweater weather even in mid-summer. That’s not surprising given that its yearly average is in the negatives Fahrenheit. That’s thanks to absolutely freezing spring temperatures, which bring down the average — summer and fall are a bit above freezing, but not warm enough to balance out the average.
- Yearly average temperature: -1.62 °F
- Average winter temperature: 16 °F
- Average summer temperature: 41 °F to 50 °F
3 Svalbard And Jan Mayen
Svalbard and Jan Mayen’s yearly average temperature is 19.8 °F
Svalbard is one of the darkest places on Earth, which is why it’s unsurprising that the average temperature is below freezing. However, the tourist draw here is the fact that you can experience the midnight sun and polar night, plus the Northern Lights. You won’t really find a warm time of year here, however, as springtime averages below zero to temperatures in the teens Fahrenheit, and fall is similar.
- Yearly average temperature: 19.8 °F
- Average winter temperature: −4.0 °F to 8.6 °F
- Average summer temperature: 37.4 °F to 44.6 °F
2 Canada
Canada’s yearly average temperature is 24.75 °F
It’s not a shock to Canadians that their country is absolutely freezing almost all year, especially when there are feet of snow on the ground. But you might be surprised to find that on average, Canada is the second-coldest country on the planet. Its yearly average is below freezing, and the warmest it gets in summer is usually the high 80s. Some interior locations in Canada can get warmer — well into the 100s Fahrenheit — but it’s clearly not enough to bump the average up.
- Yearly average temperature: 24.75 °F
- Average winter temperature: -40 °F to 5 °F
- Average summer temperature: 70s °F
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1 Russia
Russia’s average yearly temperature is 25.18 °F
It’s not surprising that Russia has the lowest average yearly temperature of any country, especially since its coldest city is nearly as chilly as Mars. That’s not to say that Russia is freezing all year, though. In the summer, temperatures in Russia can rise into the 70s Fahrenheit.
- Yearly average temperature: 25.18 °F
- Average winter temperature: -25 °F to 14 °F
- Average summer temperature: 73 °F
References: World Bank Group, Climatic Research Unit, Road Genius