Global Nomad Index©
Ranking of Digital Nomad Visas/Permits | Benchmark for Best-in-class Remote Work Program
GNI© - Jan 2022
| Country | TOTAL | Accessibility | Process | Tax Incentives | Compliance | Access, Assistance, Community | Cost Of Living | Internet Speed | Safety / Peacefulness | Health Care | Pollution | Rule Of Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | 6.0 | 4.5 | 8.3 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 7.3 | 5.2 |
| Anguilla | 5.9 | 5.0 | 7.9 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 7.4 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 7.3 | 5.2 |
| Barbados | 7.0 | 5.5 | 8.3 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 3.7 | 7.6 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 9.5 | 5.6 |
| Brazil | 5.7 | 8.9 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 8.4 | 5.4 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 2.6 |
| Costa Rica | 7.4 | 9 | 6.5 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 9.1 | 7.2 | 3.9 | 7 | 5.9 | 7.4 | 6.6 |
| Croatia | 6.6 | 7.5 | 5.0 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 4.4 |
| Cape Verde | 6.4 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 5.6 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 |
| Estonia | 6.9 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 6.9 | 6.4 | 10.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| Georgia | 5.6 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 9.0 | 3.4 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.6 |
| Malta | 7.0 | 8.0 | 6.3 | 7.5 | 6.2 | 8.1 | 4.9 | 10.0 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| Portugal D8 Stay | 7.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 7 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 8 | 8 |
| Portugal D8 Residence | 7.6 | 6 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 7 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 8 | 8 |
| Portugal D7 | 6.9 | 5 | 5 | 6.5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 8 | 8 |
| UAE | 6.8 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 10.0 | 9.3 | 5.9 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 5.0 |
| More coming soon... |
Global Nomad Index©
Global Nomad Index (GNI) is the first of its kind scoring system of Digital Nomad Visas, Permits, and other Remote Work Programs which helps you pick your next destination. We analyzed almost 50 indicators & data points organized in 13 different categories, to find out which visa/permit is the best-in-class.
We review details of each of the Remote Work Visa/Permit looking at the:
- Accessibility – how easy it is to get the visa/permit for people from different financial and professional backgrounds e.g. Fees, Min Income etc?
- Process – how quick and easy is the application, and approval process?
- Tax Incentives – what are the tax exemptions the country offers and how well documented they are?
- Compliance – what level of compliance does the visa provide to employers and business owners?
- Access – what is the level of access to local services e.g. health care, schools, co-working, co-living spaces or how popular English is?
- Assistance – what support and assistance is provided to Remote Workers by different Government Agencies?
- Communities – how developed the local Digital Nomad communities are?
We also analyze the essential country metrics that make the location attractive for remote work, such as:
- Cost Of Living – the level of prices of a range of everyday items;
- Internet Speeds – fixed broadband download speeds;
- Safety – peacefulness and security in the country;
- Health Care – general quality of the health care system;
- Pollution – overall pollution in the country where the biggest weight is given to air and water pollution;
- Rule Of Law – how are governance, fundamental rights, civil & criminal justice experienced in everyday life?
We normalized all factors to apply the same scale from 1 to 10, the higher the score the better the results. Different weights are given to different factors depending on how critical they are to Remote Work. Please note that any indices used for evaluation are historical and are published periodically. All sources have been assessed and data retrieved in Q1 of 2022.
Remote Work Visa/Permit
Source: Global Nomad Guide internal data, Info Verified by Government Agencies, Coworker, others.
Country Metrics
Usage & Backlinks
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If you would like to use the data for commercial purposes, please get in touch, to be granted the license. The license includes no right to sub-license and the data may not be distributed in excel format to any person without GNG’s consent.
For license, all press and media inquiries, please get in touch:
Best-In-Class Remote Work Program Framework
GNI© is not just a benchmark system, it is a whole framework for what the best-in-class Remote Work Visa/Permit looks like. We partner up with Government Agencies that want to improve their Digital Nomad offering, we help them analyze their current programs and deliver an in-depth report on how they can attract more Remote Workers to their country.
- Review their Visa/Permit
- against our benchmark to analyse almost 50 diffrent indicators in 13 different categories;
- we also go deeper and review over 100 different data points to create a full overview of how the current program stuck up agains other country programs ;
- Deliver an in-depth report with suggestions, ideas & advice on how to create or improve the whole ecosystem needed for a successful Remote Work Program;
- Offer Consultations & Support with implementation (when required).
Do you need support getting your program off the ground or improving the existing one?
Do you wonder how does the best-in-class Remote Work Program looks like? We can help!
For more info, please get in touch:
Work From Abroad Policy Blueprint
Digital Nomad Visas/ Permits give employers an incredible opportunity to allow their employees to work from remote locations all over the world while staying compliant. Remote Work Programs don’t necessarily eliminate all the risks but they remove the most considerable ones. Using them is only one of many strategies to make the Work From Abroad/ Anywhere Policies a reality.
We partner up with small to medium-size businesses and start-ups to help them create comprehensive Remote Work policies and Work From Anywhere Policies that include provisions for the Digital Nomad population. We can offer the following:
- Blueprint for Work From Abroad policies that will provide you with the options, opportunities, risks, pros and cons of each solution and suggestion for implementation. Your HR or Mobility Department might use it as a base for your customized policies, or
- Consultations & Support with implementation – you can also hire us to help you to implement the blueprint or create a custom solution that works for your specific organization.
Need help with your remote policies? Let us know, we can help! For more info, please get in touch:
FAQs
How much do Digital Nomads contribute to Local Economies?
| Country | Start Date | No. of Approved Applications To Date | Average Length of Stay | Estimated Annual Contributions to Local Economy | Applicants’ Insights | Source/ Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | ||||||
| Anguilla | ||||||
| Barbados | 2020, Jun 30 | 2,163 as of 31 Dec 2021 | 2 months | At least US$ 8,650,000 | – Majority from US, UK, Canada, Nigeria & India; – 62% male; 38% female – Mainly IT but also finance, marketing, law and logistics; – 65% are individuals, 35% families. | Jamaica Observer 2022, 16 Jan |
| Brazil | 2022, Jan 24 | |||||
| Costa Rica | Coming Soon… | |||||
| Croatia | 2021, Jan 1 | |||||
| Cape Verde | ||||||
| Estonia | 2020, Aug 1 | |||||
| Georgia | 2020, Aug 27 | 1,117 as of 22 Oct 2021 | 6 months | At least US$ 13,400,000 | – Majority from US, Australia, UK, Russia, Ukraine, New Zeland, & Canada – 58% freelancers, 29% employees, 13% self-employed. | Georgian Journal 2021, 22 Oct |
| Malta | 2021, Jun 3 | 180 | 2 months | At least US$ 720,000 | – Majority from US, UK & India; – Majority has a degree; – 50% Employed, 42% Self-Employed; 8% Freelancers; – 68% male, 32% female; – Avg. age is 37, – Avg. Income US $60K. | Malta Gov Press Release 2022, 19 Jan |
| UAE (Dubai) | 2020, Oct 14 | |||||
| More coming soon… |
