WCR 2026: political instability becomes the baseline expectation among the global wealthy

The World Citizenship Report 2026, published by CS Global Partners on 14 January 2026, finds that only 33.5% of the 546 mass affluent individuals surveyed are very confident that their current citizenship will continue to deliver comparable security and opportunity over the coming decade. Some 39.2% are only somewhat confident and close to 27% are either uncertain or lack confidence.

A shift in thinking

The report judges that political instability has moved from being an exceptional event to a baseline expectation among the global wealthy. In the survey, close to 80% of participants currently hold a single citizenship, yet 71.6% say they are more inclined to consider a second citizenship or residence because of global events over the past few years.

Asked where their current government is falling short, participants listed: a competitive economy (45.4%), healthcare (42.7%), education (39.9%) and political stability (36%). The report concludes that even basic governance reliability is no longer taken on trust.

The post-Covid-19 setting

The report identifies the Covid-19 pandemic as the inflection point in this trend. Lockdowns, border closures and supply chain disruption exposed how fragile a life built around a single country can be. Temporary movement restrictions have since hardened into the structural trend behind record millionaire migration.

According to the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2025, published on 24 June 2025, an estimated 142,000 millionaires relocated internationally in 2025. The Henley & Partners report also notes that American citizens accounted for more than 30% of all residency by investment applications the firm handled in 2025, almost twice the combined total of the next five nationalities.

The effect of American trade policy

The report discusses the tariff regime imposed by the second Trump administration during 2025, including broad reciprocal tariffs and targeted increases. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its World Economic Outlook of April 2026, global growth is forecast at 3.1% in 2026 on the assumption that the Middle East conflict remains limited in duration and scope.

According to the Yale Budget Lab, the average effective United States tariff rate rose from around 2.3% at the start of 2025 to around 17.9% by the end of September 2025. Speaking at a press conference on 14 April 2026, IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said global inflation is forecast to rise to 4.4% in 2026 under the reference scenario.

Motivations today

In the report’s survey, business and career opportunity heads the list of motivations for seeking a second citizenship at 29.9%. Investment diversification is second at 24.5% and tax efficiency third at 22.3%.

Asked about future scenarios, the order of priorities changes. Family security and generational protection come first. Emergency and contingency planning for geopolitical or economic instability come second. Asset and legacy protection come third.

How citizenships are distributed

According to the survey, around 15% of participants currently hold two citizenships and 5% hold three or more. The report suggests that the remainder are increasingly coming to see a second citizenship not as an emergency exit but as a form of diversification within a personal asset portfolio.