A new index ranks Luxembourg as the top passport in the world for aspiring global citizens.
The small European country ranked No. 1 out of 199 places in the "Nomad Passport Index 2022" published by the tax and immigration consultancy Nomad Capitalist.
While many passport rankings focus solely on visa-free travel, this index adds taxation, global perception, ability to obtain dual citizenship and personal freedoms into its scoring.
"I don't think visa-free travel is all that matters," said CEO Andrew Henderson.
I don’t think visa-free travel is all that matters,” said CEO Andrew Henderson.
For example, U.S. and Canadian passports are similar in terms of travel strength, he said. However, “if you’re an American, you’re subject to taxes … no matter where you live, and so those two passports should not be ranked next to each other.
The top 10 rankings remained unchanged from last year, with the half-point difference between No. 1 Luxembourg and No. 2 Sweden coming down to “one extra country visa,” said Henderson.
Taxes are high in both countries, “but if you want to leave, it’s relatively flexible,” he said. Both countries are perceived well globally and rank highly for personal freedom, said Henderson, noting Sweden demonstrated the latter with its hands-off approach to the pandemic.
Nearly 85% of the places in the top 30 list are in Europe.
What’s notable, said Henderson, is that countries like Malta, Iceland and Slovakia — places “that people don’t often talk about” in terms of passport strength — hold their own against powerhouses such as Italy and Germany. They also score above countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and United States.
