Geopolitics and moves by some governments to squeeze HNW individuals over tax, trade disputes and other issues have put a premium on safe, stable and economically welcoming jurisdictions. Two of the world's most significant wealth jurisdictions – Switzerland and Singapore – are in the top five.

A ranking of how well or not countries blend structural stability and long-term economic growth shows that Switzerland stands in first place, with Germany, Singapore, Ireland and Finland at the top, in descending order. At the bottom, riskiest end of the spectrum is Russia.

In sixth to 10 places respectively, are Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, the United Arab Emirates and Australia, according to a report from Global Citizen Solutions which covers some 85 jurisdictions. Jurisdictions are assessed across two equally-weighted pillars: Risk & Structural Stability, and Readiness & Market Opportunity. All scores are standardised on a 0–100 scale.

The US comes in 11th place, with Canada at 24th in the firm’s risk and readiness score measure.

The report, called the Global Atlas of Risk and Readiness, “highlights countries that combine institutional strength, innovation ecosystems, energy resilience, and economic depth, characteristics that increasingly influence investment confidence and capital allocation decisions,” the residency and citizenship planning advisory firm, said in a report.

There are several studies, for example from Henley & Partners, a firm advising people on relocating, on how different countries stack up in terms of risk, desirability, ease of visa-free entry, and more (see an example). At a time when capital is mobile and geopolitics stressful, demands among HNW individuals for more options on where to live and work remain high. Notably, Switzerland and Singapore are two of the world's most important wealth jurisdictions and centres for cross-border activity. 

The war in the Gulf, moves by some governments to squeeze HNW individuals over tax, trade disputes and other issues have put a premium on safe, politically stable and economically-friendly jurisdictions. 

The 10 riskiest nations, in descending order, are Russia, Turkiye, Nigeria, Israel, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Egypt and Cambodia.

Across the dataset, Europe emerges as the strongest-performing region, with an average GARR score of 87.89, followed by North America (85.78), the Middle East (84.27), and Asia-Pacific (83.87). Latin America (80.00) and Africa (75.68) trail behind.

Switzerland has an overall score of 93.73, followed by Germany (93.40) and Singapore (92.60). 

“In a global environment shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, supply-chain realignment, energy transition pressures, and rapid technological change, traditional growth indicators are no longer sufficient. Investors are increasingly evaluating countries through a dual lens: structural risk and systemic readiness,” the GCS report said.

The top countries share qualities such as strong rule of law and regulatory reliability; advanced digital and AI readiness; high human capital depth; energy system resilience; and liquid and sophisticated financial markets.