Greece tops Henley & Partners' ranking of residence programmes for investment

Greece has taken the top spot in Henley & Partners’ annual ranking of residence-by-investment programmes, breaking Portugal’s previous leadership.

Portugal has dropped to third place for 2025, sharing the position with Italy and the UK, while Switzerland has moved into second place.

The rankings evaluate countries based on criteria such as quality of life, reputation, taxation, visa-free travel access, processing times, compliance standards, investment requirements, total costs, and citizenship timelines. Experts score each country from 0 to 10 across these categories, with the totals determining the final ranking.

The key factor behind Greece’s Golden Visa success is one of the lowest investment thresholds in Europe, starting at just 250,000 euros. This has made it a highly attractive option compared to similar schemes across the continent.