Annual Research · 211 Countries & Territories · 9 Parameters

Residence is the ultimate asset allocation.

The World Residence Index ranks every country and territory on earth by its desirability as a place of residence — for internationally mobile individuals, families and entrepreneurs who are free to choose. Nine equally weighted parameters. One number. Higher is better.

Territories scored
211
Equal-weight parameters
9
2026 score range
24.55–89.18
Fully reproducible
Annual

The Top Ten

WRI 2026
The ten highest scoring territories in the World Residence Index 2026. Each row gives the rank, the territory and its WRI score out of 100. A higher score is better.
RkTerritoryWRI Score
01 Sark*ZERO 89.18
02 Liechtenstein*ZERO 87.31
03 Monaco*ZERO 87.06
04 Cayman Islands*ZERO 86.36
05 Andorra 86.04
06 Ireland*Lump-sum 85.38
07 Isle of Man*Lump-sum 85.37
08 Macau*Territorial 85.08
09 Turks and Caicos*ZERO 84.49
10 Switzerland*Lump-sum 84.36

* Special tax regime available to new residents

Full table → 211

The Full Spectrum

Every territory on one line.

Each bar is one of the 211 ranked territories, ordered best to worst. Height and colour follow the total WRI score.

SarkScore: 89.18 · Rank #1
№ 1 Sark — 89.2  Best score, 2026 Higher score → more desirable residence № 211 North Korea — 24.6  Worst score, 2026
Bar chart of all 211 territories ranked in the World Residence Index 2026, ordered from the highest WRI score to the lowest. Bar height and colour follow the WRI score.

Methodology

Nine parameters. Equal weight. No opinions hiding in the math.

Each parameter is scored from 1 (worst) to 100 (best) on capped, documented scales — linear or logarithmic as the data demands. The total is a simple sum: no proprietary weighting, no black box. Every figure traces to a named public source and the index is rebuilt from raw data every year.

  1. Parameter 1

    Personal Income Tax

    Top marginal rate, adjusted for special regimes: zero-tax, territorial and lump-sum systems built for new residents.

    KPMG · EY · PwC

  2. Parameter 2

    Population Density

    Residents per square kilometre, on a logarithmic scale. Space is a luxury the index prices in.

    UN WPP 2024 · World Bank

  3. Parameter 3

    GDP per Capita

    Nominal output per resident — a proxy for infrastructure, services and economic depth.

    IMF WEO · World Bank

  4. Parameter 4

    Life Expectancy

    Average life expectancy at birth: the broadest single measure of healthcare and living conditions.

    WHO · UN WPP

  5. Parameter 5

    Tourism & Lifestyle

    International arrivals per capita — revealed preference for a country's amenities, access and appeal.

    UNWTO · World Bank

  6. Parameter 6

    Unemployment

    The official ILO-definition rate: a clean read on labour-market and social stability.

    ILO · World Bank

  7. Parameter 7

    Warmongering

    Military expenditure as a share of GDP. Geopolitical neutrality is a residence asset.

    SIPRI 2024

  8. Parameter 8

    Safety & Rule of Law

    A composite of homicide rates, judicial quality and corruption perception — weighted 40 / 30 / 30.

    UNODC · WJP · TI CPI

  9. Parameter 9

    Ideological Neutrality

    The Woke Score: a 26-question audit of compelled speech, curriculum mandates and ideological enforcement in law.

    WRI proprietary rubric

All scales, caps and formulas are published in full in the Methodology Manual.

Download the manual →

Country Profiles

Every territory, dissected.

Each of the 211 profiles breaks the total score into its nine components, with the raw figures and sources behind every number — so you can see not just where a country ranks, but precisely why.

Switzerland

Rank 10 of 211 · Lump-sum regime*

Personal income tax
86.0
Population density
30.1
GDP per capita
100.0
Life expectancy
96.0
Tourism & lifestyle
82.0
Unemployment
99.6
Warmongering
97.9
Safety & rule of law
95.3
Ideological neutrality
73.8

Nine parameters · 1 worst — 100 best

Total WRI Score  84.36

Rank 10 of 211

The 2026 Annual Report

Decide where to live the way you decide where to invest.

The full 2026 edition — complete rankings, raw data, methodology and year-on-year movers — published annually at worldresidenceindex.com.

Request the 2026 report