Global Wealth Migration 2026: Singapore Tops Competitiveness Rankings as Small Jurisdictions and Tax Havens Draw Capital Amid Policy Shifts

The Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2026, released June 16, 2026, by Henley & Partners, introduces a Global Wealth Mobility Framework evaluating 12 factors including tax policy, investor pathways, regulatory quality, and business environment. Singapore leads with a Wealth Mobility Competitiveness Score of 79.5 out of 100, followed by New Zealand (75.8), the Cayman Islands (74.3), Cyprus (73.5), the Netherlands (72.8), Portugal (72.5), Italy (72.3), and others including Switzerland (70.8) and Greece (70.5). Eleven of the top 16 performers have populations under 10 million, underscoring how smaller economies leverage predictable regulation, efficient taxes, and residency pathways to attract mobile wealth rather than relying on domestic market size. The U.S. ranks lower due to citizenship-based worldwide taxation, fiscal complexity, and processing delays, contrasting with simpler regimes elsewhere. In 2025 alone, nearly 1 million new millionaires emerged globally, fueling relocation trends; projections indicate 165,000 millionaires may move internationally in 2026. This aligns with broader patterns of capital diversification, where high-net-worth individuals build 'sovereign portfolios' of residences and citizenships across jurisdictions. Official data from Henley highlights rising U.S. citizen applications for investment migration programs, doubling in some cases, amid fiscal uncertainty. Related reports note Switzerland, Singapore, and the UAE as popular expatriate destinations for stability and tax advantages, while policy shifts in places like the UK prompt reassessment toward Italy, Switzerland, and the UAE. These flows connect to de-dollarization pressures through reduced reliance on single-currency or single-jurisdiction holdings, though direct causation requires further empirical tracking.