What are the best countries to migrate to? Henley Opportunity has published a study on this topic, giving a detailed answer. The study has listed 46 top countries for immigration based on six parameters – earning potential, career advancement, employment prospects, education, economic mobility and livability. Each parameter is given points out of 100 and aggregate decides the position of the countries on the list.
Switzerland tops the list with an aggregate score of 84 percent. The country has a high earning potential and a high probability of career advancement. It is also home to seven of the best universities in the world. Switzerland is followed by Singapore with an aggregate score of 79. The country has one of the top economies and education systems in the world, making it an attractive choice for immigration.
The USA, the world's largest economy, secures third place, with a total score of 78%. Along with being the global economy driver, the country is also the leader in technology and home to the giant tech companies. Its universities, like Harvard and MIT, consistently make it to the top five universities of the world. Moreover, its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program helps provide permanent residency to immigrants. Just recently, the US president announced gold visas for $5 million investment in exchange for residency.
The UK is placed on the sixth spot with an aggregate score of 70. The UK is one of the great economies of Europe with high employment prospects. The country is home to some of the well-known universities, like Cambridge university and Oxford university, where students from around the world come every year for studying. The UK is followed by the UAE with an aggregate score of 67. The country is a tourist attraction with a high employment rate and earning potential due to it being a favorite place for investors from around the world.
New Zealand, Austria and Italy follow with the aggregate scores of 65, 65 and 64 respectively. New Zealand due to its low population and remoteness has high economic mobility and livability rates. Austria, again a country with low population and being a part of the continental Europe, has high economic mobility, livability and employment prospects rates. Italy is one of the top four economies of Europe with high economic mobility and employment prospects rates.
Overall, out of top 16 countries, 9 countries are European, which is not a surprise at all, for Europe is the most developed and peaceful continent. Only 3 Asian countries are included in the list: the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore. Hong Kong and Singapore are too small countries to compare them to the Europeans. The countries, like New Zealand, Australia and Canada, which are far away from the political and regional issues faced by Asia and are economically stable, then become the favourite destinations for immigrants.
Although Australia is in the top ten, the rising temperature will make the continent too hot in the coming decades. Similarly, some areas in the USA will also feel the impact of climate change along with most of the countries in the global South. So the countries with cold climates in the global North, like Canada, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, will be more suitable for living.
These countries are economically stable, have a high livability rate and will become the destination of most migrants in near future, which makes them the best options to choose from.
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Switzerland tops the list with an aggregate score of 84 percent. The country has a high earning potential and a high probability of career advancement. It is also home to seven of the best universities in the world. Switzerland is followed by Singapore with an aggregate score of 79. The country has one of the top economies and education systems in the world, making it an attractive choice for immigration.
The USA, the world's largest economy, secures third place, with a total score of 78%. Along with being the global economy driver, the country is also the leader in technology and home to the giant tech companies. Its universities, like Harvard and MIT, consistently make it to the top five universities of the world. Moreover, its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program helps provide permanent residency to immigrants. Just recently, the US president announced gold visas for $5 million investment in exchange for residency.
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The UK is placed on the sixth spot with an aggregate score of 70. The UK is one of the great economies of Europe with high employment prospects. The country is home to some of the well-known universities, like Cambridge university and Oxford university, where students from around the world come every year for studying. The UK is followed by the UAE with an aggregate score of 67. The country is a tourist attraction with a high employment rate and earning potential due to it being a favorite place for investors from around the world.
New Zealand, Austria and Italy follow with the aggregate scores of 65, 65 and 64 respectively. New Zealand due to its low population and remoteness has high economic mobility and livability rates. Austria, again a country with low population and being a part of the continental Europe, has high economic mobility, livability and employment prospects rates. Italy is one of the top four economies of Europe with high economic mobility and employment prospects rates.
| Country | Earning potential | Career Advancement | Employment Prospects | Premium Education | Economic Mobility | High Livability | Total Opportunity Score (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 100 | 81 | 85 | 73 | 92 | 75 | 84% |
| Singapore | 100 | 61 | 99 | 58 | 92 | 64 | 79% |
| USA | 89 | 75 | 85 | 77 | 75 | 66 | 78% |
| Australia | 69 | 66 | 77 | 80 | 92 | 74 | 76% |
| Canada | 66 | 74 | 80 | 73 | 75 | 73 | 73% |
| UK | 62 | 58 | 71 | 89 | 76 | 65 | 70% |
| UAE | 78 | 51 | 84 | 65 | 66 | 56 | 67% |
| New Zealand | 61 | 54 | 60 | 55 | 92 | 67 | 65% |
| Austria | 58 | 56 | 69 | 50 | 92 | 68 | 65% |
| Italy | 53 | 61 | 65 | 52 | 93 | 59 | 64% |
| Hong Kong | 85 | 52 | 81 | 52 | 50 | 47 | 61% |
| Latvia | 73 | 59 | 48 | 38 | 90 | 53 | 60% |
| Malta | 44 | 62 | 58 | 40 | 92 | 56 | 59% |
| Hungary | 71 | 43 | 49 | 43 | 91 | 52 | 58% |
| Greece | 48 | 44 | 59 | 43 | 92 | 53 | 56% |
| Portugal | 41 | 50 | 52 | 44 | 92 | 59 | 56% |
Overall, out of top 16 countries, 9 countries are European, which is not a surprise at all, for Europe is the most developed and peaceful continent. Only 3 Asian countries are included in the list: the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore. Hong Kong and Singapore are too small countries to compare them to the Europeans. The countries, like New Zealand, Australia and Canada, which are far away from the political and regional issues faced by Asia and are economically stable, then become the favourite destinations for immigrants.
The Threat of Climate Change
The threat of climate change must remain in mind while choosing the country of your choice, which was not considered in Henley Opportunity Index. As predicted by scientists, some countries will be badly affected by climate change, making them less habitable and causing migration. Due to the rising sea levels and increasing temperature, some current popular destinations will not remain the same.Although Australia is in the top ten, the rising temperature will make the continent too hot in the coming decades. Similarly, some areas in the USA will also feel the impact of climate change along with most of the countries in the global South. So the countries with cold climates in the global North, like Canada, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, will be more suitable for living.
These countries are economically stable, have a high livability rate and will become the destination of most migrants in near future, which makes them the best options to choose from.
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