- Singapore has the best passport in both Enhanced Mobility Index and Investment Index
- Sweden tops the Quality of Life index, followed by Finland and Denmark
London UK, 2021-Oct-18 — /Travel PR News/ — Global Citizen Solutions, today launches a real take on passport rankings. The Passport Index ranks global passports not just by visa-free access, but by building mobility, investment opportunity and quality of life offered by each destination into a new, life-centric index that adds to the outdated irrelevant rankings of old. The right of visa-free passage is but a part of the value of any given destination, this Passport Index harmonises the data and ranks countries in a more holistic manner.
A strong passport is not only about travel mobility. In today’s increasingly globalized world, people are looking to invest beyond their borders and obtain residency abroad. The difficulty lies in picking the right country, considering key aspects such as quality of life and investment opportunities. Investment migration agency Global Citizen Solution’s new Passport Index Project addresses the question with the launch of a new, pioneering Global Passport Index.
Enlisting quantitative analysts with extensive experience in international organizations, analysing big data projects for the likes of UNESCO, OECD, and Inter-American Development Bank, the Global Passport Index presents a new methodology to measure the overall attractiveness of each country for relocation, investment, or dual citizenship purposes through three standalone indexes: Enhanced Mobility Index, Investment Index, and Quality of Life Index. Each index enables users to filter results for individual country rankings, using 11 different indicators originated by reputable sources such as the World Economic Forum, Gallup, and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy.
Patricia Casaburi, Managing Director at Global Citizen Solutions says that there was a need to develop a new citizenship ranking that went beyond travel mobility. “From feedback obtained via years of experience working directly with our clients, we realised that what really mattered for them when looking at a second citizenship was not only mobility but also lifestyle and investment opportunities. It quickly became apparent that the time was right to develop a passport index that took these factors into account, making a relatable, real methodology for comparing countries and their attractiveness for real-life choices.”
The top 10 passports ranked in the Global Passport Index are respectively:
- United States of America
- Germany
- Canada
- The Netherlands
- Denmark
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- Finland
- Norway
- New Zealand
The United States of America ranked 10th in the Mobility Index, 4th in the Investment Index, and 23rd in the Quality of Life Index. Each index weighs 50% (Mobility) 25% (Investment) 25% (Quality of Life) and with a total score of 96,4, the Global Passport ranked the USA in the pole position.
Patricia also comments on the USA topping the Global Passport Index: “The findings of the Global Passport Index confirm a common concern, even in the relative comfort of the highest-ranked countries, a plan B is still important. Having scored well in the Investment, Quality of Life and Enhanced Mobility Indexes, the USA sits at the very top of the table, but it didn’t win in any single Index. Depending on one’s priorities, there are destinations that are potentially seen as better alternatives. Between January 2020 and August 2021 for instance, Portugal issued 774 Golden visas, to Chinese, Brazilian and American citizens (SEF – Portuguese national statistics department). Herein lies the beauty of enhancing the traditional indexes with real-life cares and concerns, it allows clear vision depending on personal preferences, there is no one-size-fits-all glove when planning your future.”
The new Global Passport Index is presented as a user-friendly platform in which users are encouraged to look at rankings created by individual indexes. For instance, if you choose the Enhanced Mobility and the Investment Indexes, both will be topped by Singapore. But the Asian country ranked 130th in the Quality of Life Index, mainly due to its cost of living, which is higher than the US and Sweden. The overall score (92,5) puts Singapore in 15th position in the Global Passport Index.
The top country in the Quality of Life Index is Sweden, due to its high score in the six indicators used to rank the countries along this dimension including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index, the World Happiness Report and the Freedom in the World Index. Sweden is ranked 15th in the Enhanced Mobility Index and 31st in the Investment Index giving the Scandinavian country the 6th position in the overall Global Passport Index.
The Global Passport Index ranks the United Kingdom in 7th position: although the country has a high score in both the Quality of Life index (8th) and the Investment index (16th), it ranks 32nd in the Enhanced Mobility Index.
Dr. Roberto de Pinho, one of the two senior analysts behind the Global Passport Index comments: “The overall objective of this project was to develop a quantitative tool that could provide useful information on how countries rank on a number of dimensions relating to their attractiveness as destinations to relocate to or obtain citizenship.”
Vladimir Lopez-Bassols, STI analyst working in partnership with Roberto comments: “The new methodology provides a more comprehensive view of mobility and country attractiveness that includes 3 broad dimensions, each one summarized in a standalone index constructed using several indicators from a variety of fields. We took special care in creating the Enhanced Mobility Index because a simple list of countries that offer visa-free travel is not enough to rank a passport.”
The top 20 list of passports continues with Switzerland (11th), France (12th), Luxembourg (13th), Ireland (14th), Singapore (15th), Spain (16th), Monaco (17th), Australia (18th), Austria (19th) and Czech Republic (20th).
EDITOR´S NOTES:
Roberto de Pinho and Vladimir Lopez-Bassols are both Senior STI Policy and Indicators experts, having worked for UNESCO and other international organizations. They have created the new passport ranking methodology, taking in consideration an international context:
Enhanced Mobility Index
The Enhanced Mobility Index carries the most weight (50%) and is based on the travel benefits that each passport gives the holder, while also taking into account the level of “attractiveness” of the destination country (the country the passport gives access to) based on their quality of life (based on the Quality of Life Index, presented below). The Enhanced Mobility index is the sum of points a passport receives for allowing facilitated access to worldwide destinations via the following means: visa-free access, visa on arrival and electronic visa.
Top Ten Enhanced Mobility Index passports are: Singapore, Spain, Finland, Germany, UAE, Luxembourg, Denmark, Netherlands, Portugal and USA.
Investment Index:
The Investment Index is used to provide a general assessment of the economy as an option for investment and other business decisions. Prosperous nations with a dynamic economy are favored, while the level of personal taxation is also taken into account. The investment index is calculated using three indicators: (i) the Market & Innovation related pillars from the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), GNI per capita, and the top Personal/Individual Income Tax Rates. This index is worth 25% of the overall calculation.
Top Ten Investment Index passports are: Singapore, Hong Kong (China), Macao (China), USA, UAE, Monaco, Qatar, Andorra, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia.
Quality of Life Index:
The third index covers six main components relating to the quality of life in the country: Sustainable Development Score, Numbeo’s Cost of Living Index, Freedom in the World Score, World Happiness Score, Environmental Performance Index and Gallup´s Migrant Acceptance Index. The Quality of Living Index is worth 25% of the overall calculation.
Top Ten Quality of Life Index passports are: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Spain and Austria.
For more information, interviews and high res imagery please contact Gizane Campos on gizane@globalcitizensolutions.com or on + 447968563689 (UK) / +351934691780 (Portugal).
About Global Citizen Solutions
Global Citizen Solutions is a boutique investment migration consultancy firm focused on finding the right residency or citizenship by investment program for individuals wishing to secure their future and become global citizens.
With offices in Portugal, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Brazil, their multilingual team guides individuals and families from start to finish, providing expert advice concerning freedom, mobility, taxation, and security.
From helping individuals find their dream homes or investment to providing successful immigration and relocation services, Global Citizen Solutions will guide clients every step of the way, offering the freedom, mobility, and security that comes with second citizenship or residency.