CBI Index 2025 launches, St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica retains top positions 

The 9th edition of the CBI Index 2025 was officially released on Thursday under the theme “From crisis to consolidation: CBI at a global inflection.” The five Caribbean CBI jurisdictions have once again retained top position with impressive scores with St Kitts and Nevis topping the ranking, followed by Dominica in second place, Grenada in third, Saint Lucia in fourth and Antigua and Barbuda in fifth.

The report shed light on how Caribbean nations continue to demonstrate resilience, adaptability and investor appeal despite mounting external pressures. It also talked about new entrants from the Pacific and Africa pointing to the industry’s continuing expansion.

The CBI Index 2025 provides an in-depth analysis of the significant challenges and change in the global citizenship by investment landscape. It is an independent global ranking system that evaluates citizenship programmes across nine key pillars, including due diligence, freedom of movement and investment outlay.

The 2025 report talked about two major things including the dominance of the Caribbean jurisdiction and their adaptability to shifting global landscape and the emergence of new CBI Programmes in the industry.

St Kitts and Nevis leads for fifth year in a row

The Citizenship by Investment Programme of St Kitts and Nevis retained its place at the top, climbing to 78 points. It has received a perfect score in four pillars of excellence and high marks in almost all pillars. It scored a perfect 10 in Mandatory Travel or Residence, Ease of Processing, Due Diligence and Certainty of Product and set the benchmark for others by adopting groundbreaking changes with the call of transparency.

The Citizenship by Investment Programme of St Kitts and Nevis has secured a score of nine in Citizenship Timeline, score of eight in investment options and family and score of seven in freedom of movement and standard of living.  The country has secured a percentage of 87 in the global rankings of the CBI Index 2025.

According to the CBI Index 2025, a series of reforms that are designed to enhance transparency, security and efficiency. The initiatives such as integration of biometric verification has advanced identity protection, mitigated fraud risks and aligned the programme with global travel security standards.

In addition to that, the CBI Index noted that the introduction of a digital application platform has enhanced a secure communication system, real-time status updates and full digitisation. It is aimed at modernizing the application process, further improving responsiveness and efficiency. The transition of the CIU into a statutory body also added a new layer of due diligence and further cemented its position as global standard-setter for CBI.

Dominica on Second position

Dominica retained its second place with 73 points for the third consecutive year amid the global uncertainty and external pressures. The CBI Index lauded the government’s swift consolidation of its due diligence and a strong application pipeline, aiming to enhance its integrity and responsiveness.

Despite the challenges, the Citizenship by Investment Programme of Dominica remained one of the highest-volume programmes across the globe, shedding light on its appeal among investors seeking established options. 

Grenada, Saint Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda in top 5 

Grenada has also maintained its third place ranking with 70 points, highlighting the strength of its regulatory framework. Amid declining application volumes, the programme has preserved its ability to offer the CBI options to the investors with its excellence.

In fourth place, Saint Lucia improved its ranking and climbed to 68  points, strengthening its due diligence standards. Even with the concern of the discounting, the steady investor demand of the programme has supported its rise within the regional rankings.

Antigua and Barbuda secured fifth place with 66 points, one point lower than last year. Enhanced due diligence measures, including fingerprint collection, have bolstered its compliance framework, maintaining its credibility.

The Caribbean programmes continue to lead the rankings, reflecting their ability to adapt to external pressures and maintain investor demand. Regional cooperation through the Caribbean Memorandum of Agreement continues to shape standards, with enhanced information-sharing and harmonisation of due diligence practices creating a more consistent investor experience.