Switzerland offers high-value residents access to the world’s best career, education and lifestyle opportunities, according to a new report, while Malta and Greece top the highest-ranked citizenship and residency programs in 2026.
At a glance
- Switzerland ranked first in advisory firm Henley & Partners annual roundup of premier destinations for global wealth flows, which takes into consideration global opportunities across earning potential, top-tier employment opportunities, education and high livability.
- The Swiss Residence Program guarantees residence in Switzerland for a minimum contribution of CHF 250,000 in annual taxes outside of employment in Switzerland.
- Among a list of globally ‘nimble’ passports, a Swiss passport ranks fourth offering holders speedy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 186 destinations worldwide—two more than last year.
- Greece, which scored best overall in the 2006 Henley Residence Program Index – a digital tool which includes key metrics such as quality of life, taxation and time and cost to citizenship.
- Malta topped its proprietary Henley Citizenship Program Index, which reflects the relative worth of the most reputable citizenship programs around the world.
Switzerland – an enduring haven for the world’s ultra-wealthy – offers the most lucrative citizen and residency programs when it comes to unlocking the world’s best opportunities.
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The scenic European country, which recently rejected a controversial inheritance tax proposal, ranked first in advisory firm Henley & Partners annual roundup, which takes into consideration global opportunities for those residing in Switzerland and their families.
This includes earning potential, top-tier employment opportunities, education and lifestyle. Switzerland scored 86% across key metrics, followed by Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore.
Top Global Destinations for Wealth Opportunity (2026 Rankings)
Reaffirming Switzerland’s commitment to maintaining a favourable environment for its ultra-rich, the country was the fourth most popular country for high-net-worth migration in 2025 with 3,000 wealthy individuals forecasted to move to the mountainous, tax-friendly country.
Switzerland was outranked by the UAE, which came first for millionaire migration in 2025, with nearly 10,000 of the world’s wealthy projected to move to the region last year- a figure which may be significantly lower in 2026 as wealth defaults to more stable global strongholds.
Switzerland may now offer a one-way-ticket to wealth preservation and exceptional lifestyle given ongoing geopolitical headwinds, with residency offering elevated experiences and opportunities for those that have the funds.
The Swiss Residence Program guarantees residence in Switzerland for a minimum contribution of CHF 250,000 in annual taxes outside of employment in Switzerland, but is dependent on the applicant and canton. The annual sum allows residents the right to live and work in Switzerland.
Continuing its strong value proposition among the world’s super rich is its globally-nimble passport, ranking third in Henley & Partners’ 2026 Passport Index, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 186 destinations worldwide—two more than last year.
Only Singapore (192) and the joint-second Japan and South Korea (188) rank higher in the ‘good’ passport stakes. The jump cements Switzerland’s position as one of the world’s most globally mobile nationalities.
Also proactively working to attract more millionaires and billionaires and the capital they will inject into their economies is Greece, which scored best overall in the 2006 Henley Residence Program Index – a digital tool which includes key metrics such as quality of life, taxation and time and cost to citizenship.
Henley & Partners said that the EU country offers its residents and citizens a number of “reassuring benefits” including high levels of safety and security, excellent education opportunities, robust healthcare options, and a dependable rule of law.
Rapidly becoming one of the monied class’ favoured destinations, approximately 1,200 foreign millionaires moved to Greece in 2024 and the same number of millionaire migrants called the Hellenic country home in 2025, collectively bringing in an estimated €7.7 billion in private wealth.
A key driver attracting the ultra-wealthy to Greece is its Golden Visa program, combining residency with strategic property and lifestyle investment opportunities.
Greece’s pitch to the wealthy is potent: natural beauty that’s hard to rival, millennia of cultural cachet, and a Golden Visa program that grants residency through real estate or business investments. For €250,000 – still modest by global luxury standards –buyers can secure a foothold in the EU.
Developers are moving fast to meet demand. In Mykonos, glass-fronted villas with infinity pools now stand beside traditional windmills. In Paros, private marina access is becoming a standard amenity.
Italy, a rising global wealth hub – Milan in particular – thanks to a favourable flat-tax, ranked second across residency key metrics, joined by Switzerland and the UAE, also coming tied-second.
Portugal, which is enjoying a steady stream of the world’s highest earners, came third, scoring nine out of ten for quality of life through frothy mix of relatively low taxes, warm climate, and laid-back lifestyle
In a bid to the world’s top-tier talent and ultra-wealthy, Portugal is busy sowing a fertile immigration culture, with multiple entry channels including a Golden Visa, Startup Visa, Digital Nomad Visa and Tech Visa, among other programs.
Elsewhere in the advisory firm’s global analysis of prized countries to move to, Malta topped its proprietary Henley Citizenship Program Index, which reflects the relative worth of the most reputable citizenship programs around the world.
In a geopolitical arms race to inveigle the world’s elite, Malta is emerging a shiny contender for the largest share of high-net-worth capital through a concentrated shot of sun, safety and charm.
Despite its hard-to-reach geolocation, an increasing number of millionaires want to call the tiny, sun-drenched European island home, with its crystalline waters, UNESCO-listed capital and cultural crossroads that fuse Latin European traditions and strong British legacies, shaped by centuries of foreign rule.
It’s also a rising filming location and a popular spot on the summer superyacht circuit with a number of luxury yacht marinas seeing owners disembark and stay beyond season close.
Henley & Partners’ 2024 report found that Malta’s millionaire population was the sixth fastest growing in the world after Vietnam, China, Mauritius, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
The country is surpassed only by Austria for best quality of life among those ranked in the index, also ranking highly for other high-net-worth-friendly metrics such as reputation and residence requirements.
Many of those relocating to Malta pre-2025 would now not be able to under the same ‘golden passport’ citizenship programme. The Maltese government ended its citizenship-by-investment program in 2025 following the EU Court of Justice’s ruling against it.
Instead, a merit-based system has been introduced. Applicants who provide an exceptional service or contribution that adds value to Malta or to humanity at large, or whose naturalisation is deemed to be of extraordinary national interest, may qualify for Maltese citizenship. The granting of citizenship is discretionary.
Investor notes: Wealth flows will look significantly different in 2026 than a year ago, which saw record high-net-worth migration to the UAE. Given the recent conflict in the Middle East with no end in sight, uncertainty and investor confidence may have a long-term rebound effect as wealth defaults to traditional strongholds for capital preservation, lifestyle, career opportunities and education.
Switzerland, Greece and Malta citizenship of residency are just some of the options for those looking for established and emerging safe havens offering what is genuinely scarce for wealth-in-flight – safety.
