UAE Tops Global Wealth-Migration Ranking as Many Residents Seek Backup Options

The United Arab Emirates has been ranked first in Henley & Partners’ new global wealth-mobility index, even as 41% more UAE residents sought alternative residence or citizenship options in the first quarter of 2026 than in the previous quarter. The report, published Tuesday, says the country remains attractive for entrepreneurs and international families using it as a business base, and Henley’s Dominic Volek said the trend reflects “resilience and contingency planning, not relocation.”

Henley & Partners, which says it is the world’s largest residence-and-citizenship-by-investment advisory firm and operates offices in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, said it received applications from 86 nationalities in the first five months of 2026 across 47 investment-migration programs. More than 28% of applicants already live outside their country of citizenship. The index scores countries across 12 areas, including tax, rule of law, quality of life, investor migration routes, geopolitical stability and capital mobility.

The UAE led the list with 85.3 points, followed by Singapore with 79.5 and New Zealand with 75.8. Other highly ranked destinations included the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Greece and Monaco. Italy was highlighted as a major European success story, while Greece gained ground after Spain closed its golden visa program and Portugal ended its real-estate investment route.

At the lower end were Brazil, China, Russia, India, Iran, Lebanon and Nigeria. The report said China and India remain major sources of wealth, but capital controls, tax complexity and geopolitical uncertainty are pushing affluent families to look abroad. Western countries under pressure included Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, South Korea and France. Britain saw a 15% rise in applications from people with UK addresses between 2024 and 2025 after ending non-dom status, changing inheritance tax rules and closing its investor visa.

The United States scored 62.3, below Germany and Britain, despite being the world’s biggest wealth generator. Henley said applications from Americans doubled in 2025 and continued rising in 2026, with nearly half of requests aimed at European programs.