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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.
View the 2026 rankings
Read the methodology
211
Territories
scored
9
Equal-weight
parameters
0–100
WRI Score
Higher Is better
Annual
Fully
reproducible
| Rk | Territory | WRI Score |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sark | 89.18 |
| 02 | Liechtenstein | 87.31 |
| 03 | Monaco | 87.06 |
| 04 | Cayman Islands | 86.36 |
| 05 | Andorra | 86.04 |
| 06 | Ireland | 85.38 |
| 07 | Isle of Man | 85.37 |
| 08 | Macau | 85.08 |
| 09 | Turks and Caicos | 84.49 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 84.36 |
The Top TenWRI 2026
| Rk | Territory | WRI Score |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sark | 89.18 |
| 02 | Liechtenstein | 87.31 |
| 03 | Monaco | 87.06 |
| 04 | Cayman Islands | 86.36 |
| 05 | Andorra | 86.04 |
| 06 | Ireland | 85.38 |
| 07 | Isle of Man | 85.37 |
| 08 | Macau | 85.08 |
| 09 | Turks and Caicos | 84.49 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 84.36 |
Score 0–100 · higher is betterFull 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.
Higher score → more desirable residence
№ 211 North Korea — 24.55 Lowest score, 2026
Methodology
Nine parameters. Equal weight. No
opinions hiding in the math.
Each parameter is scored from 1 (best) to 100 (worst) 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.
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
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
Parameter 3
GDP per Capita
Nominal output per resident — a proxy for
infrastructure, services and economic depth.
IMF WEO · World Bank
Parameter 4
Life Expectancy
Average life expectancy at birth: the broadest single
measure of healthcare and living conditions.
WHO · UN WPP
Parameter 5
Tourism & Lifestyle
International arrivals per capita — revealed preference
for a country’s amenities, access and appeal.
UNWTO · World Bank
Parameter 6
Unemployment
The official ILO-definition rate: a clean read on labour-
market and social stability.
ILO · World Bank
Parameter 7
Warmongering
Military expenditure as a share of GDP. Geopolitical
neutrality is a residence asset.
SIPRI 2024
Parameter 8
Safety & Rule of Law
A composite of homicide rates, judicial quality and
corruption perception — weighted 40 / 30 / 30.
UNODC · WJP · TI CPI
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.
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.
SwitzerlandRank 10 of 211 · Lump-sum regime
Personal income tax15.0Population density70.9GDP per capital1.0Life expectancy5.0Tourism & lifestyle19.0Unemployment1.4Warmongering3.1Safety & rule of law5.7Ideological neutrality27.3
Parameters scored 1 best – 100 worstWRI Score 84.36 ↑
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.