Top 5 Countries for Citizenship (2021) Worldwide | InvestUK (2024)

What are the best countries for second citizenship? There are numerous ways to answer the question. Are you seeking a temperate climate, ease of travel, business and employment opportunities or a great place to raise a family? In this article, we have narrowed down the top five options that are great all-rounders, particularly for those seeking to settle down, start a family and build a career.

Our Top Five – Overview

• 1. The United Kingdom – best across the board
  2. Australia – best for education
  3. Finland – the happiest country on earth
  4. The United States – best for business
  5. Switzerland – a great place to live

Methodology for our rankings

To decide on the top five, we have added together theglobal rankings of countries that perform consistently best over various spheres. The lower the total number, the higher the level of global competitiveness. The areas that we will be using to evaluate each country include:

Quality of life for migrants

Looking at countries ranking in the ‘Global Talent Competitive Index’ gives a good indication of how accessible to high skilled immigration and the quality of life immigrants experience in a given country is. The index ranks every country based on a myriad of metrics that come together to form three core areas, namely, the attractiveness of each nation to high skilled immigration, the ease of gaining citizenship in that country and long-term prospects for continued citizenship. How welcoming a country is to immigration can have a great impact on the quality of life of an immigrant, hence why we’ve included it in our rankings.

Happiness

The ‘World Happiness Report‘ ranks the parameters that affect happiness around the globe. When deciding which country to move to a key factor is the potential to live a happy life thus making it an important metric to include on the list.

Healthcare

The‘Health Care Index‘ is a global ranking of the overall quality of the health care system of each country. Factors the index takes into consideration include training of health care professionals, the equipment available to the hospitals, number of doctors, cost to the taxpayer (or patients in a private system) and more. We included healthcare in this ranking as for those looking to settle in a new country, access to high-quality healthcare for themselves or their family is a top priority.

Education

‘The World Population Review – Education Rankings‘are a global study that compiles scores from three equally weighted attributes; a well-developed public education system, the global rankings of the countries universities and the number of top grades achieved. In much the same way as for healthcare, for those looking to start a family, or looking to improve their employability by taking a course at a top university, getting the best education possible is certainly important and should be a key consideration when choosing which country to settle in.

Ease of doing business

The ‘Global Talent Competitive Index’ offers a ranking on ‘ease of doing business, a high ranking indicates a conducive regulatory environment for starting and operating a firm, though many other indicators are taken into consideration. The ease of setup and day-to-day management of a business improves chances of commercial success, but more so than that, a high ease of doing business score is often tied with a strong economy, high-skilled workforce and bountiful job opportunities.

Let’s see how they stack up…

1. United Kingdom – best across the board

As a talent magnet for both overseas businesses and people, the UK performs highly in terms of attractiveness to immigration, coming in 6th place, and 8th globally for ease of business. A predictable climate free from variable and extreme weather conditions, a world-class education system from early years right through to university and a strong healthcare system; it’s no surprise that the UK ranks 13th happiest country in the world and comes in at the top of our list – the Brit’s have it all.

Quality of life for migrants: 6th

Health care: 10th

Education: 4th

Ease of doing business: 8th

Happiness: 13th

Total: 41

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2. Australia – best for education

Australia is consistent across all areas we measured, only just outside or within the top tens on all the metrics we measured. Other than the UK, such consistent performance across the board is rare so for those looking for a great all-rounder with both a hot business scene and climate (average temperatures exceeding 35°C) (95 °F), astonishing natural beauty, wildlife and in close proximity to Asia-Pacific countries you couldn’t go far wrong than by choosing Australia.

Qualityof life for migrants: 10th

Health care: 6th

Education: 1st

Ease of doing business: 14th

Happiness 11th

Total: 42

3. Finland – the happiest country on earth

Gaining citizenship in Finland may be a little harder than in the UK, their universities may not be as world-renowned and their economy may not be as developed, but with great educational opportunities withmanyconsidering Finland to offer the best early years and secondary (High-school) education in the world and officially the happiest country on earth, Finland could make a great new home for you and your family. Just be warned, every year, on a day inlate November, in the most northern parts of Finland, the sun will setand won’t rise again for roughly 50 days until mid-January. Their world-famous sauna culture makes up for this lack of sun though we’re sure…

Quality of life for migrants: 7th

Healthcare: 12th

Education: 3rd

Ease of doing business: 20th

Happiness: 1st

Total: 43

4. United States of America – best for business

With US universities amongst the strongest and most world-renowned, and as the world largest economies, the home of countless globally recognised brands, the US is an amazing place to move with such a unique and varied culture amongst its united states. Moving to the US would certainly be something special, though their healthcare system may offer some cause for concern…

Quality of life for migrants: 2nd

Health care: 30th

Education: 2nd

Ease of business: 6th

Happiness: 16th

Total: 56

5. Switzerland – a great place to live

With a favourable business landscape, though with some tough regulation, and a great education system, Switzerland is a consistent performer across the board, scoring particularly highly in education, happiness and quality of life for immigrants. So if you like cheese, chocolate and being awoken by the sound of swinging cowbells, you can be confident that Switzerland will make a welcoming and comfortable place for you to call home.

Quality of life for migrants: 4th

Health care: 18th

Education: 6th

Ease of doing business: 35th

Happiness: 4th

Total: 67