Mauritius holds the most powerful passport in the African continent according to new
Global Passport Index. The top 10 African passports ranked in the new Global Passport Index are respectively: Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Botswana, Tunisia, Namibia, Morocco,
Ghana, Kenya and Lesotho.
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investment opportunity and quality of life offered by each destination into a new, life-centric index that adds to the outdated irrelevant rankings of old.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 realized 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.”
In the African continent, the most powerful passports are:
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
4. Botswana
5. Tunisia
6. Namibia
7. Morocco
8. Ghana
9. Kenya
10.Lesotho
Across Africa, the most powerful passports are those of Mauritius, The Seychelles and South Africa. Ranked first and second overall in the continent, Mauritius and The Seychelles score well on the Enhanced Mobility Index, but interestingly, South Africa still ranks third, even though it carries a far lower score in the same index. This is due to their passport holders being required to obtain a Schengen visa in order to enter any European country in the Schengen Zone.
“The finding explains the popularity of citizenship by investment programs in South Africa,” explains Patricia Casaburi, Managing Director of Global Citizen Solutions. “Our clients are looking not only for travel mobility but also lifestyle and financial stability too.”
As it turns out, South Africa ranks in 100th position in the Global Passport Index.
The Global Passport Index ranking
The top ten world’s strongest passports are, respectively, USA, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, and New Zealand.
The United States of America ranked 10th in the Enhanced Mobility Index, 4th in the Investment Index, and 23rd in the Quality of Life Index. Each index weighs 50% (Enhanced Mobility) 25% (Investment) 25% (Quality of Life) and with a total score of 96,4, the USA leads in the Global Passport ranking.
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 thatcould 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.”
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READER´S NOTES:
THE METHODOLOGY
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 Worldbased 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.