Consulting company Henley & Partners claims to have an objective measure of the value of citizenship. It is called the Quality of Nationality Index (QNI) - an index of state quality. This index takes into account both internal factors (for example, the level of development of the economy, social sphere, is there peace and stability) and external factors (for example, do citizens of this country have the opportunity to travel to other countries without visas and is it easy for a foreigner to get work there). The superiority of some countries over others is considered solely from the point of view of the possibility for a person to legally and fully develop the talents granted by nature, and to start his own business.
We present you the results of a study of living standards in the countries of the world, a rating based on data for 2017.
10. Spain
State Quality Index (QNI): 79.5
Opens the ranking of countries with the most attractive citizenship, the homeland of mantillas, flamenco and bullfight - Spain. Despite the fact that its score fell by 0.3 compared to 2015, the country's place in the ranking has changed in a favorable direction - it has finally entered the top ten.
9. Switzerland
Quality of Life Index (QNI): 79.6
According to the results of 2015-2016. Switzerland index fell 1.1. Perhaps the reason for this is the tightening of immigration laws, which were previously not particularly favorable. If you are not a millionaire who wants to open an account with one of the confidential Swiss banks, of course.
8. The Netherlands
State Quality Rating (QNI): 79.7
Lovers of tulips and cheese live in a prosperous country - for many years her position in the Henley & Partners ranking has remained virtually unchanged. The Dutch enjoy visa-free travel, relative stability and other pleasures of life. It’s just not so easy to settle there.
7. Austria, Italy
Quality of Life Rating (QNI): 79.9
Not much that prevents residents of Austria and Italy from enjoying Vienna strudel and real Italian pizza. After all, their countries entered the top 10 best countries for life. Compared to 2015, Italy has significantly improved its position: if in 2015 it was only 13th, then in 2016 it moved 5 points at once.
6. Finland
State Level Index (QNI): 80.7
But the country of a thousand lakes does not feel very comfortable in the ranking of the most valuable citizenship in the world. From proud third place she moved to sixth. The reason for this, most likely, is the ongoing economic problems, due to which the Finns began to call their country “northern Greece” with sadness. Will the country emerge from the crisis and will it retain its place in the top ten leaders? We will see next year.
5. Norway
Living Standards Index (QNI): 81
A quiet, calm country with a powerful social system and a visa-free regime with many countries. At the same time, Norway has for many years been a stable leader in the human development index. The Norwegian people care about the personal life of the king, where to fuse herring, environmental safety and the country's independence from its own oil and gas. No major shocks to you - which is wonderful.
4. Sweden
State Level Rating (QNI): 81.2
Not surprisingly, in the fourth place in the ranking is another country that joined the European Union and signed the Schengen Agreement. This immediately gives the country a head start in the ranking due to the abundance of visa-free travel. And if one adds political stability and a calm, without worries situation in the country, it becomes clear that one can only dream of such a passport. At the same time, the Swedish government takes care of mass migrants arriving in the country, and continues to develop methods of working with them in order to maximize the integration of visitors to society.
3. Iceland
Living Standards Rating (QNI): 81.3
And here is the favorite of all the quality of life ratings, Iceland. The descendants of the Vikings managed to equip their small island with not the most favorable climate in the world so that many dream of settling there. But they will not succeed - if Iceland scored the highest score in peace and stability, then it is better not to dream of immigration. It still won’t work.
2. France, Denmark
State Quality Index (QNI): 82.4
According to the results of 2015-2016, France made a sharp jump up (by 1.5), while Denmark fell by 0.6. But in general, bearers and lovers of baguettes and gloomy Scandinavians have a lot in common - from visa-free travel to immigration. However, there are differences: because of the terrorist attacks, France is a less prosperous country for living than a quiet and peaceful Denmark.
1. Germany
Country Quality of Life Rating (QNI): 82.7
Although Germany lost 0.4 points compared to 2015, this did not affect its place in the ranking. She remains the leader of all valuable citizenships. Residents of the country of Oktoberfest, beer and Bavarian sausages are the easiest to travel, but with social benefits and the opportunity to settle a little worse. Germany also lost ground on the stability scale, apparently due to last year's wave of migrants and the unrest caused by this.
But what about Russia? In 2015, our country got 60th place in the ranking of the best countries for living, in the new rating it dropped to 63 position. The only good news is that the citizenship of Russia (as well as Moldova) turned out to be the best among the passports of the CIS countries. In addition, for such an indicator as a list of countries that can be visited without a visa, Russia has made obvious progress. In 2016, Russians could travel without a visa or with a visa upon arrival in 106 countries, while in 2015, 100 countries were available to them.
Among the worst were mainly African states and countries in the Middle East.
