LONDON-- March 08, 2022 -- Europe dominates the top spots in the latest Henley & Partners rankings of the most sought-after investment migration programs in the world, with Malta securing 1st place in the Global Citizenship Program Index for the seventh consecutive year, while the Portugal Golden Residence Permit Program tops the Global Residence Program Index again.

The two indexes — published as part of the 2022 edition of the annual Investment Migration Programs ­­report — offer a systematic analysis and comprehensive benchmarking of the world’s most important 40 residence and citizenship by investment programs, providing the gold standard in this field. Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, says “it’s the ultimate tool for those considering alternative residence or citizenship as an option for accessing new opportunities and mitigating risk, but also for government policy makers looking to manage investment migration programs to achieve greater fiscal autonomy and economic growth.”

The top three places in the Global Citizenship Program Index are occupied by European programs. Malta holds the 1st place with a score of 77 out of 100. In 2nd place is Austria’s citizenship by investment option, with a score of 74, while the highly sought-after Montenegro Citizenship by Investment Program ranks 3rd with a score of 72.

European programs also occupy the first seven places of the Global Residence Program Index. With a score of 75 out of 100, the Portugal Golden Residence Permit Program ranks 1st overall. The Austria Private Residence Program and the Italy Residence by Investment Program share 2nd place with a score of 74, while the Swiss Residence Program — a service package developed by Henley & Partners — Ranks 3rd with a score of 73.

Dr. Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners, says “there’s been significant growth on both the demand and supply side of investment migration over the past 12 months. We received 80% more enquiries in 2021 off the back of an already record-breaking year in 2020, with dramatic upswings of interest from North America, the EU, the UK, and Australia. The new digital indexes are an excellent addition that will enable investors and wealthy families to select the factors that matter most to them and make data-driven decisions on where best to invest.”