Denmark, Switzerland and Finland took the top three spots in the 2023 World Citizenship Report, which ranks 188 countries across five key motivators defining citizenship for the global citizen.

Published by CS Global Partners, the World Citizenship Report showcases the World Citizenship Index (WCI), which takes a holistic approach to rank the world’s citizenships across multiple dimensions including the motivators of Safety and Security, Quality of Life, Economic Opportunity, Global Mobility and Financial Freedom.

The World Citizenship Index is the product of a research-driven approach that goes beyond ordinary concepts of passport strength by placing greater emphasis on the diverse attitudes regarding key facets of citizenship. Unlike other rating tools, the World Citizenship Index ranking is designed to reflect a citizenship’s value through the lens of high-net-worth-individuals (HNWIs) and the newest generation of global citizens: the mass affluent population.

“This year, we looked beyond HNWIs and extended our survey to the new mass affluent, a globally mobile generation who is providing fresh impetus for a renewed drive towards global citizenship. As the world around continues to change at an exponential rate, bringing with it new crises and opportunities – individuals across the globe are increasingly calling their own citizenships into question in terms of the safety, freedoms, and the prosperity they provide,” says Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners.

“This report stands apart from other reports in the industry because it examines which countries offer the most benefits for global citizens, particularly in a post-Covid world where those that have the means are consistently searching for greater opportunities.”

This year, Denmark kicked Switzerland out of the top spot and scored the highest points. Switzerland ranked in second place and Finland retained the third spot for a second year in a row.

Notably, global superpowers such as the US and China did not rank in the top 10, symbolising a significant shift in what these economic giants can tangibly offer the global elite. HNWIs and mass affluent citizens are searching for a better quality of life, security and financial freedoms, all aspects which have been on shaky ground since the pandemic.

The surveyed cohort chose ‘Quality of Life’ as the most important feature of citizenship, which ranked first across the World Citizenship Index’s five pillars, eclipsing both Physical Safety and Financial Freedom.

The report found that a competitive economy, public services, and environmental sustainability are the three areas mass affluent individuals feel most let down by their governments.

The standard of living is currently falling at the fastest rate in over a generation. At the end of 2022, the UK Office for Budget Responsibility reported that UK households are set to suffer a 7,1% fall in living standards over the next two years, the largest decline in six decades.

Furthermore, according to the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report published in the same period, living conditions in 90% of the world’s countries deteriorated in 2021 – something that hasn’t been seen since the height of the previous global recession caused by the financial crisis in 2007.

Moreover, the UNDP report marked the first consecutive year of decline in the 32-year history of the Human Development Index (HDI) – these trends are reflected in the current World Citizenship Index scores. For example, the US dropped to 29th position for the Quality-of-Life motivator from 20th position previously, which shows how living standards are coming under pressure even in the world’s economic powerhouses.

“The World Citizenship Report aims to capture what truly concerns and affects a global citizen,” adds Emmet. “When there are options to gain a second or third citizenship, the first question in a HNWIs mind is ‘where is the next place to be associated with?’

“HNWIs and the mass affluent must consider a myriad of factors when deciding something as monumental as where to obtain second citizenship and build a second home. While passport strength is, of course, an important component, it is also one that is subject to the greatest change as evidenced by pandemic related travel restrictions.”

As many parts of the globe recover from Covid-19 and find means to bolster their economies, a new chain of threats has emerged. The conflict in the Ukraine has not only made many nations in the northern hemisphere realise just how fragile the concept of safety and freedom is but has severely impacted energy and food security across the world.