Best countries for offshore software development in 2025

The main advantage of offshore staff augmentation is that it provides access to a vast and skilled global talent pool. However, selecting the best country to outsource software development remains an essential question for enterprises. To help business leaders make an informed strategic decision, we evaluated locations based on talent availability, STEM education, technical expertise, business climate, and English proficiency. Examine the best offshore software development countries to access global expertise for growth.

Best offshore development countries in Central and Eastern Europe

CEE is a popular outsourcing destination due to its vast talent pool of over 1M tech experts who share Western work ethics. Moreover, the region is home to skilled developers, recognized by various rankings, including Coursera, SkillValue, and Topcoder. The biggest players in the region are Poland, Ukraine, and Romania. Let’s inspect each country:

Poland

The country has an extensive talent pool of 525K tech specialists. The majority of IT professionals reside in Warsaw and Krakow. Other prominent IT hubs are Wroclaw, Katovice, Tri-City, Lodz, and Poznan. Polish information and communication technologies universities and their graduates are well-known for the high standards of education. Approximately 16K ICT students graduate each year, ensuring a consistent influx of talent. The best computer science universities in Poland are the Warsaw University of Technology, with 20K students enrolled in ICT programs, Jagiellonian University, AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, and the Wroclaw University of Technology. 

Explore IT hubs in Poland

In addition, Poland's EU membership provides a reliable legal framework and access to the single market, making it a good choice for outsourcing. In the Doing Business ranking, Poland takes 40th place, highlighting a stable political climate, sound economic policies, a skilled workforce, and a strong legal framework that protects property rights. The country also ranks 19th in Europe and 24th globally for developer skill proficiency, indicating a competitive tech industry. While strong in software engineering and innovation, Poland comes further in the ranking in Data Science and business understanding. In the programming Olympics hosted by HackerRank, Polish developers took third place. 

Warsaw and Krakow can be compared to Stockholm and Munich in English proficiency. Poland's overall ranking for English proficiency is 15th out of 111 countries, comparable to Finland and Belgium. Most Polish developers are fluent in English and are able to efficiently communicate with international teams and clients.

Find out the top reasons for software nearshoring to Poland

Ukraine

Despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country remains one of the best countries for offshore software development and CEE’s second-largest hub with over 290K tech professionals. The IT sector in the country has remained stable, showing no major layoffs, even with a 14% decline in exports from 2022 to 2024. In major IT hubs like Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, there are 5.6K tech companies serving as reliable offshoring partners.

One of the key aspects contributing to the IT industry's growth in Ukraine is its strong technical education. Each year, Ukraine boasts over 39K new graduates with degrees in technical studies. The World University Ranking lists nine Ukrainian technical universities that offer computer science programs. 

Ukrainian developers take 15th place globally in the Coursera ranking and secured 11th position out of 50 in the HackerRank competition. Moreover, the country ranks 60th on the Global Innovation Index and holds 64th place in the World Bank’s Doing Business report. While there’s still room to grow, a wave of recent reforms has strengthened Ukraine’s business environment and boosted its attractiveness as an IT outsourcing destination.

Ukraine ranks 35th in English proficiency among 111 countries worldwide. However, according to DOU, among developers, English proficiency reaches 80%, ensuring smooth international communication .

Related:How to choose the best offshore software development company in Ukraine?

Romania

Romania is one of the top offshore software development countries, with a local talent pool of 202K professionals. A significant share of the Romanian talent pool resides in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, and Iasi. Romania’s capital is known as one of the top startup-friendly cities, according to StartupBlink. Like Poland, Romania is an EU member, ensuring that outsourced development in Romania meets high legal standards for data privacy and ownership.

Romania is home to 41 technical universities, and the workforce grows by 12K ICT graduates annually. Such a number of students ensures constant talent inflow, making Romania a great option among offshore software development countries.

Romania's general tech knowledge, Data Science, and business understanding skills are roughly equal, and the country is ranked 54th in the Global Skills Report. In the HackerRank competition, Romanian developers took 20th place out of 50 countries.

Romania's high English proficiency, ranked 12th globally, makes it an ideal location for offshore staff augmentation. The majority of Romanian developers are fluent in English, which ensures seamless communication with international teams.

Best offshore development countries in Latin America

Latin America is a popular offshoring choice due to a combination of large talent pools, skilled workforce, and relatively lower cost of living. The region’s proximity to North American time zones means convenient nearshoring—real-time collaboration, while shared cultural touchpoints and growing English proficiency make communication smooth. Governments across the region have also invested in ICT infrastructure and education, producing a steady stream of tech experts.

Along with established players like Mexico and Brazil, Colombia has made progress with its improvements in the business climate and innovation. Let’s examine the best countries to outsource software development in Latin America: 

Brazil

Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, both in land area and population, is also home to over 750K IT professionals, 1.2K software development companies,and over 13K startups, including 24 unicorns. Sao Paulo is the world’s 23rd best tech startup hub and number one in Latin America, creating an ecosystem of mentorship, sharpening developers’ skills, and strengthening Brazil’s overall talent pool.

In HackerRank’s programming Olympics, Brazil took 38th place. Brazilian developers scored highly in tech skillsand have made it to the top 1% in Data Science, granting them third place in the region and 28th globally. However, the relatively low business knowledge suggests that teams may need additional support in areas such as requirements gathering, stakeholder communication, and domain-specific best practices. Yet, companies evaluating Brazil as an offshore development destination can confidently tap into top‑tier technical talent.

Additionally, English proficiency is lower than in other Latin American countries and other popular outsourcing destinations. The country scored below the global average and ranked 81st in the world, seven points lower than Colombia.

Both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are located in the GMT -3 time zone, two hours ahead of the East Coast and five hours ahead of the West Coast. For offshoring from Europe, the time difference would be minus four with Western Europe and minus five with Central Europe. 

Mexico

With over 700K IT professionals and 500 software development companies listed on Clutch, Mexico is a convenient choice for companies located in the US. As of spring 2025, various agreements foster a stable, transparent, and secure environment for cross-border software outsourcing. Most notably, the USMCA agreement enhances IP enforcement, giving both US and Mexican firms confidence that proprietary code and data will be safeguarded.

Mexico is ranked 25th in the global Coursera rankings (second in Latin America)and 33rd in HackerRank. While Mexican developers prioritize data analytics and rank in the top 10% of expertise in this area, along with being in the top 3% for general tech skills, their business knowledge falls in the bottom 6%. This means that Mexican teams would require support and clear planning regarding business needs.

Like Brazil, Mexico lacks English proficiency, coming 87th globally, which is five points below Egypt. There is significant diversity among the regions, with Monterrey, one of the country’s IT hubs and home to 1.2M inhabitants, achieving a score comparable to Switzerland. Surveys of IT professionals show that 14.5% are fully bilingual and 32% have an advanced level of English proficiency, according to Coderslink.

Columbia

While Colombia is a new player among offshore development countries, both Colombian developers and the government have made impressive efforts to make the country a rising star of technology outsourcing. Several agreements have been made to bring down barriers and create connections for technological cooperation with the US and the EU. This also included a commitment to IP protection and ex officio seizures, as well as enhanced criminal penalties to safeguard proprietary code and data.

With a talent pool of 150K and over 400 software development companies, Colombia ranks first in the region by skill proficiency. Colombian developers can tackle 95% of the most advanced engineering tasks. But what grants them the highest ranking in the region is their high understanding of business needs. It allows the outsourcing teams not only to deliver technical excellence but also to drive strategic value and maximize project ROI.

Read more: Nearshore software development in Colombia: A snapshot

The average English proficiency in Colombia is higher than in the other top Latin American destinations, yet still lacking compared to the best countries for offshoring software development in Europe. The country is 74th in the world, with the largest IT hubs, Bogota and Medellin, having moderate English proficiency.

Considering the advanced skill set of local professionals, Colombia is among the top countries for offshore software development.

Also consider: India

India might be one of the best offshore development countries if you’re looking for a larger talent pool. The country is home to over 5.8M IT professionals, over 40K software development companies, and more than 35K tech startups. Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata are India’s largest cities and home to the R&D centres of major tech companies. According to Nasscom, IT services constitute 45% of total Indian exports, highlighting the importance of the tech industry.

The Times Higher Education World University Ranking indicates that India has 58 reputable institutions for computer science education, ensuring a consistent supply of skilled tech professionals. Due to the large talent pool, there are Indian developers at skill levels from the lowest to the highest. 

India has only one time zone, GMT+5:30, which is 9.5 hours ahead of the East Coast and 12.5 hours ahead of the West Coast. While this time difference makes collaboration between international teams very challenging, in some cases, it can be a significant benefit as it allows progress to be made overnight. 

N-iX has a development centre in Bengaluru offering team extension services in India. Our recruitment network helps you access the top 2.6% of global talent and fill positions in three to four weeks. 

Why choose N-iX as a software development partner?

N-iX is a trusted software development partner with a proven track record of successful long-term partnerships with tech companies and enterprises globally. Here's why you should choose N-iX:

1. Expertise: We have over 2,200 IT experts and are counting our 22th year on the market. We have successfully delivered numerous projects in BFSI, automotive, manufacturing, healthcare, and other industries.
2. Global presence: N-iX offers outsourcing services in the best offshore development countries. Our largest development centres are located in Europe, specifically in Poland, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria. We also have a presence in Medellin, Colombia, and Bengaluru, India, with a total of 25 global locations.
3. Quick and easy start: Our talent reserve, proven recruitment pipeline, and a strong employer brand allow us to fill positions in three to four weeks. 

Wrap-up

In short, expanding your team offshore is not just about reducing costs; it's a strategic move. Benefit from the best offshore software development countries and turn global outsourcing into a powerful tool for innovation, agility, and lasting competitive advantage.