Quality of Nationality Index

The Quality of Nationality Index (QNI) ranks the quality of nationalities based on internal and external factors.[1] Each nationality receives an aggregated score based on economic strength, human development, ease of travel, political stability and overseas employment opportunities for their citizens.[2] The QNI was created by Dimitry Kochenov and Christian Kälin, chairman of Henley & Partners.

Quality of Nationality Index
Logo as of 2018
AuthorChristian Kälin and Dimitry Kochenov
LanguageEnglish
Release number
2007
PublisherHenley & Partners
Websitenationalityindex.com

Significance

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The phenomenon of being a native of any country was described as 'a birthright lottery' by Ayelet Shachar, Professor of Law, Political Science, and Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.[3] At the same time, the QNI shows that nationalities diverge greatly in their practical value, which is not always parallel with the characteristics of those countries, such as economic power or level of human development. Applying the methodology of the QNI, some economically strong countries have relatively unattractive nationalities. For example, Indian nationality shares 106th place with Senegalese nationality (2017 data). By contrast, some small countries have nationalities of larger value, such as those of Lithuania and Romania, which are ranked 22nd and 25th respectively in the QNI 2017.

The QNI is frequently cited by media organisations such as Forbes, Bloomberg, The Enquirer and Business Standard.[4][5][6][7]

 
QNI world map

Methodology

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The QNI takes a quantitative approach to determine the value of a nationality based on seven parameters, comprising both internal value (40%) and external value (60%). Three parameters reflect the internal value of a nationality: human development (15%), economic strength (15%), and peace and stability (10%). Four parameters reflect the external value of a nationality: diversity of travel freedom (15%), weight of travel freedom (15%), diversity of settlement freedom (15%), and weight of settlement freedom (15%).[8]

Most nationalities of the world, as well as EU citizenship, are included in the ranking. Not included are fantasy passports and nationalities of non-recognized states such as micronations, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Somaliland.[9] All nationalities receive a score from 0% to 100%.[10]

 
Weighted distribution of factors to calculate the QNI score

Internal parameters and sources

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The data is aggregated from various objective sources. The internal factors present the quality of life and opportunities for personal growth within the country of origin of the holder of nationality.[11]

Human Development

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Human Development is measured using the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index (HDI). The HDI was developed by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and Indian economist Amartya Sen, and used to measure countries' development by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The index is based on the human development approach, developed by Ul Haq, often calculated in terms of whether people are able to "be" and "do" desirable things in life, such as being well fed, sheltered, and healthy, or doing work, education, voting, participating in community life. Consequently, this index centres on three different human development areas: life expectancy at birth, expected years of education, and standard of living.

The QNI normalizes the HDI scores of the countries with which a particular nationality is associated to a 0-15% scale. The nationality of the highest-scoring country on the HDI gets the full 15% score, with the other nationalities being ranked proportionately.[12][13]

Economic Strength

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Economic strength of a nationality is based on the Gross domestic product (GDP) at Purchasing power parity (PPP) of each country. It is calculated from data provided by the International Monetary Fund. If there is no reliable Purchasing power parity data available, non-PPP data from the World Bank are used.[14][15] GDP at PPP scores are normalized to a 0-15% scale, the largest economy receiving the full 15% score.

Peace and Stability

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Peace and Stability are calculated using data by the annual Global Peace Index (GPI), published by the Institute for Economics and Peace.[16] Peace and stability accounts for 10% of the total QNI General Ranking scale. The nationality associated with the most peaceful country receives the full 10%, and others are ranked proportionately on the basis of the ranking scale used by the GPI.[17]

External parameters and sources

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External factors identify the quality and diversity of opportunities the holder of a nationality can pursue outside their country of origin.[18]

Diversity of travel freedom

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Diversity of travel freedom is based on how many destinations the holder of a particular nationality can visit without a visa or with a visa-on-arrival for short-term tourism or business purposes.[19] The data is taken from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The diversity of travel freedom accounts for 15% of the total QNI General Ranking scale.

Weight of travel freedom

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Weight of travel freedom evaluates the quality of the travel freedom the holder of a nationality has without a visa or with a visa-on-arrival for short term visits. Unlike Diversity of Travel Freedom, which looks only at the number of destinations, weight of travel freedom looks at the value of having visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel access to a particular country. This value is based on the Human Development (50%) and Economic Strength (50%) of each country destination.[20] This is based on the presumption that for most people, having visa-free access to certain countries is of higher value than having visa-free access to others. Weight of travel freedom accounts for 15% of the total QNI General Ranking scale.[21]

Diversity of settlement freedom

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Diversity of settlement freedom is based on the number of foreign countries in which the holder of a nationality can freely settle for at least 360 days with automatic access to work there.[22] Diversity of settlement freedom accounts for 15% of the total QNI General Ranking scale. The most advanced example of a regional organization which allows nationals of its member states to freely settle in each of the other member states is the European Union, but other regional organizations which include free settlement are Mercosur, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Economic Community of West African States. Outside such regional organizations, Georgia is the only country that allows almost all foreigners to freely settle and work in its country.[23]

Weight of settlement freedom

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Weight of settlement freedom evaluates the quality of the settlement freedom of the holder of a nationality, by looking at the Human Development (50%) and Economic Strength (50%) of the countries to which the nationality holder has settlement access. Weight of settlement freedom accounts for 15% of the total QNI General Ranking scale.

Results

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As of 2017, Italian and French nationality is ranked the best in the world, according to the latest edition of the Quality of Nationality Index (QNI),[24][25] earning a score of 81.7% out of a possible 100%, just ahead of Germany.[26] While the difference between the scores for France and Germany are small, France's comparative advantage lies in its greater settlement freedom, attributable mainly to the country's former colonial empire.[27]

Italian and French nationalities remained the best in the world according to the 2018 edition of the Quality of Nationality Index, earning a score of 83.5% out of a possible 100%, fractionally ahead of Germany and the Netherlands.[28]

Full ranking (210 total nations)

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Rank Citizenship Score
1   Italy 92.5%
  France
3   Germany 87.5%
  Netherlands
5   Denmark 81.7%
6   Australia 81.5%
7   Norway 81.4%
8   Iceland 81.2%
9   Finland 80.7%
10   United Kingdom 80.3%
11   Ireland 80.2%
12   Spain 80.0%
12    Switzerland 79.8%
  Belgium
14   Austria 79.7%
15   Czech Republic 79.0%
  Portugal
  Luxembourg
18   Liechtenstein 78.9%
19   Slovenia 78.6%
20   Malta 77.6%
21   Hungary 77.5%
  Slovakia
23   Greece 77.3%
24   Estonia 77.1%
25   Poland 77.0%
  Lithuania
  Latvia
28   Cyprus 75.3%
29   Romania 75.2%
30   Bulgaria 75.0%
31   Croatia 73.8%
32   United States 70.0%
33   Japan 58.4%
34   Gibraltar 56.0%
35   Canada 55.3%
36   Chile 55.2%
37   Singapore 55.1%
38   New Zealand 54.8%
39   Argentina 54.5%
40   Brazil 54.3%
41   South Korea 54.2%
42   Jersey 53.3%
43   Guernsey 53.2%
  Isle of Man
45   Monaco 52.5%
46   Andorra 51.6%
47   San Marino 51.4%
48   Malaysia 51.0%
49   Uruguay 50.5%
50   United Arab Emirates 50.3%
51   Brunei Darussalam 49.2%
52   Hong Kong 48.9%
53   Antigua and Barbuda 47.7%
54   Saint Kitts and Nevis 47.5%
55   Paraguay 46.8%
56   Israel 46.7%
57   Barbados 46.3%
  Saint Vincent
59   Seychelles 46.2%
60   Taiwan 46.1%
61   Mexico 45.7%
  Iraq
63   Peru 45.6%
64   Bahamas 45.5%
  Costa Rica
  Qatar
67   Saudi Arabia 45.2%
68   People's Republic of China 44.3%
  Venezuela
70   Dominica 43.9%
71   Panama 41.7%
72   Macao 43.8%
73   Trinidad and Tobago 43.3%
  Colombia
75   Palau 42.7%
76   Serbia 42.1%
77   Russian Federation 42.0%
78   Marshall Islands 41.8%
79   Montenegro 40.9%
80   Federated States of Micronesia 40.2%
81   El Salvador 39.7%
82   Samoa 39.7%
83   North Macedonia 39.3%
84   Honduras 39.2%
85   Ecuador 39.1%
  Guatemala
87   Kuwait 39.0%
88   Bosnia and Herzegovina 38.8%
89   Albania 38.7%
  Tonga
91   Moldova 38.6%
  Tuvalu
93   Nicaragua 38.5%
94   Ukraine 38.2%
95   Turkey 37.7%
96   Georgia 37.5%
97   Vanuatu 37.1%
  Qatar
  Oman
100   Kiribati 36.6%
101   Solomon Islands 36.5%
102   Saudi Arabia 36.2%
103   Bahrain 36.1%
104   Bolivia 35.8%
105   Kazakhstan 35.7%
106   South Africa 35.0%
107   Belarus 34.8%
108   Cape Verde 34.2%
109   Belize 34.1%
110   Ghana 33.9%
111   Guyana 33.6%
112   Fiji 33.2%
113   Suriname 33.1%
  Timor-Leste
115   Botswana 33.0%
  Maldives
117   Thailand 32.4%
118   Sweden 32.2%
  Gambia
120   Nauru 32.0%
  Jamaica
122   Indonesia 31.8%
  Benin
124   Armenia 31.7%
125   Sierra Leone 31.3%
  Senegal
127   Israel 31.0%
128   Latvia 30.8%
129   Kyrgyzstan 30.6%
130   Togo 30.3%
131   Dominican Republic 30.2%
132   Azerbaijan 30.1%
133   Namibia 30.0%
  Côte d’Ivoire
  Cuba
136   Tunisia 29.9%
  Guinea
138   Burkina Faso 29.8%
139   Uzbekistan 29.3%
  Mongolia
141   Guinea-Bissau 28.8%
142   Papua New Guinea 28.7%
143   Liberia 28.6%
144   Morocco 28.1%
  Nigeria
146   Philippines 27.9%
  Tajikistan
148   Mali 27.8%
  Swaziland
150   Zambia 27.6%
151   Bhutan 27.5%
152   Niger 27.4%
  Algeria
154   Tanzania 27.0%
155   Kenya 26.9%
156   Jordan 26.8%
  Gabon
  Vietnam
159   Turkmenistan 26.7%
160   Lesotho 26.6%
161   Malawi 26.4%
162   Sri Lanka 26.2%
  Iran
164   Sao Tome 25.8%
165   Egypt 25.7%
166   Kosovo 25.3%
  Laos
168 British Nationals (Overseas) 25.2%
169   Lebanon 25.1%
  Uganda
British overseas territories citizenship
172   Zimbabwe 24.9%
173   Equatorial Guinea 24.8%
174   Cambodia 24.6%
175   Madagascar 24.5%
176   Angola 24.2%
  Comoros
178   Mauritania 24.1%
179   Bangladesh 23.6%
  Haiti
181   Rwanda 23.3%
  Republic of the Congo
  Mozambique
184   Sudan 23.1%
  Myanmar
186     Nepal 23.0%
187   North Korea 22.9%
188 British Overseas citizenship 22.6%
British Subjects
British protected persons
191   Cameroon 22.4%
192   Libya 21.7%
  Djibouti
194   Chad 20.7%
195   Burundi 20.0%
196   Ethiopia 19.9%
197   Iraq 19.4%
198   Pakistan 19.0%
199   Palestine 18.9%
200   Eritrea 18.8%
201   Democratic Republic of the Congo 18.0%
202   Central African Republic 17.6%
203   Yemen 17.2%
204   Syrian Arab Republic 16.8%
205   South Sudan 15.9%
206   Afghanistan 15.4%
207   Somalia 13.8%
208   Channel Islands 0%

Top 10 nations (2018)

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Country 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
  France 1
83.5%
1
81.7%
2
82.4%
7
80.9%
8
80.8%
3
81.3%
  Italy 1
83.5%
3
80.2%
2
81.9%
5
82.8%
5
80.0%
4
80.2%
  Germany 2
82.8%
2
81.6%
1
82.7%
1
83.1%
1
83.1%
1
83.1%
  Netherlands 2
82.8%
5
80.8%
8
79.7%
9
80.3%
10
80.4%
7
80.3%
  Denmark 3
81.7%
4
80.9%
2
82.4%
2
83.0%
2
82.8%
2
81.7%
  Norway 4
81.5%
6
80.4%
5
81.0%
4
81.7%
5
81.2%
4
80.9%
  Sweden 4
81.5%
7
80.0%
9
81.2%
5
81.6%
4
81.7%
5
80.8%
  Iceland 5
81.4%
3
81.5%
3
81.3%
5
81.6%
6
81.1%
4
80.9%
  Finland 6
81.2%
8
79.2%
6
80.7%
3
82.0%
3
82.2%
3
81.3%
  United Kingdom 8
80.3%
11
80.2%
11
80.7%
8
80.4%
7
80.5%
7
80.2%
  Ireland 9
80.2%
9
79.0%
11
79.4%
6
81.0%
5
81.2%
6
80.4%
  Spain 10
80.0%
9
80.5%
10
80.8%
11
79.6%
10
79.6%
11
80.2%
References [29]

References

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  1. ^ "Germany Tops Quality of Nationality Index". cnbc.com. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  2. ^ Kochenov, Dimitry; Lindeboom, Justin (October 2017). "Empirical Assessment of the Quality of Nationalities: The Quality of Nationality Index (QNI)". European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance. 4 (4): 314–336. doi:10.1163/22134514-00404007. SSRN 3053624.
  3. ^ "Birthright is a Lottery". rorotoko.com. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  4. ^ "The World's Top Nationalities". Forbes. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  5. ^ "Where the Super-Rich go to buy their second Passport". Bloomberg. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  6. ^ "World's best Nationalities for 2017 revealed". The Enquirer. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  7. ^ "Looking for another Passport – Here are the most sought after countries". Business Standard. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  8. ^ Kochenov, Dimitry; Lindeboom, Justin (2018) [2018]. "Methodology of the QNI". The Quality of Nationality Index (3rd ed.). Ideos Publishing.
  9. ^ Lindeboom, Justin (2018). "The Quality of Nationalities of Countries That Don't Exist: Measuring the Value of Unrecognized Nationalities". In Kochenov, Dimitry; Lindeboom, Justin (eds.). The Quality of Nationality Index (3rd ed.). Ideos. ISBN 978-3-9524742-5-9.
  10. ^ "The 41 nationalities with the best quality of life". www.businessinsider.de. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  11. ^ "The world's best and worst nationalities in 2018 – including South Africa". www.businesstech.co.za. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  12. ^ "Global Launch of the First Edition of the Henley & Partners – Kochenov Quality of Nationality Index". www.ireland.co.nz /. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  13. ^ "German citizenship is ranked the most valuable in the world". www. qz.com /. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  14. ^ "These are the richest countries with the weakest passports". www.weforum.org. 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  15. ^ "Economic Strength". www.nationalityindex.com/. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  16. ^ "Peace and Stability". www.nationalityindex.com/. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  17. ^ "First index to rank quality of nationalities". www.emirates247.com/. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  18. ^ "A new ranking of every country's citizenship". www.economist.com. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  19. ^ "France's Macron uses culture to assert world's top 'soft power' nationality". www.nbr.co.nz. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  20. ^ "Quality of Nationality Index Methodology". www.nationalityindex.com/. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  21. ^ "Which One is the Best Passport to Have?". www.fundssociety.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  22. ^ "World's Top Nationalities Revealed: France Is No. 1, U.S. Ranks 27". www.forbes.com. 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  23. ^ Delcour, Laure (2017). "Georgia". In Kochenov, Dimitry (ed.). The Quality of Nationality Index (2nd ed.). Ideos Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9935866-6-8.
  24. ^ Platon, Sébastien (2018). "The French Nationality". In Kochenov, Dimitry; Lindeboom, Justin (eds.). The Quality of Nationality Index (3rd ed.). Ideos. ISBN 978-3-9524742-5-9.
  25. ^ "France's Macron uses culture to assert world's top'soft power' nationality". www.nbr.co.nz. 2016-05-29. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  26. ^ Thym, Daniel (2018). "The German Nationality". In Kochenov, Dimitry; Lindeboom, Justin (eds.). The Quality of Nationality Index. Ideos. ISBN 978-3-9524742-5-9.
  27. ^ "World's Top Nationalities Revealed: France Is No. 1, U.S. Ranks 27". www.forbes.com. 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  28. ^ "France excels in enabling its citizens to move abroad". www.rfi.fr. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  29. ^ "Quality of Nationality Index". Retrieved 2019-12-06.