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Ghana placed 5th in Africa and 95th in the world among 168 countries for its general quality of nationality, according to the latest Kochenov Quality of Nationality Index (QNI) by Henley & Partners.

The general quality of nationality includes travel freedom, settlement freedom and external value of its nationality. This summarizes the quality of life and opportunities for personal growth within a country of origin.

With a value of 32.1, Ghana did far better than majority of African countries. Seychelles was first in Africa and 49th in the world, followed by Mauritius, South Africa and Cape Verde who placed 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively in Africa but 53rd, 92nd and 93rd accordingly in the world.

The other top five African countries were Botswana (6th in Africa and 96th in the world), The Gambia (7th in Africa and 103rd in the world), Sierra Leone (8th in Africa and 104th in the world), Senegal (9th in Africa and 106th in the world) and Togo (10th in Africa and 108th in the world.

France was first in the world for its quality of nationality, according to the QNI. The French nationality earned a score of 81.7% out of a possible 100%, fractionally ahead of Germany.

Germany was knocked off the top spot for the first time in seven years, with a score of 81.6%.
According to the report, France’s comparative advantage lies in its greater "settlement freedom", which it says is "attributable mainly to the country’s former colonial empire".

Iceland and Denmark came 3rd and 4th respectively on this year’s QNI. The UK dropped down a position to 13th place, again failing to secure a spot in the top 10, while the US increased its position by two ranks, claiming 27th place.
The top 10 is completed by the Netherlands (5th), Norway (6th), Sweden (7th), Finland (8th), Ireland and Switzerland (both 9th) and Austria (10th).

The relatively poor standing on the index of the US is primarily due to its low "settlement freedom" compared to European Union member states.

China climbed two places to rank 59th and Russia maintained its position in 63rd place.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has for the first time overtaken Israel on the QNI, now ranking 46th, with Israel in 48th position.

The Emirati nationality has climbed 13 positions over the past five years, making a significant leap when its holders received visa-free travel access to the Schengen area in 2016, according to the index report.

Using a combination of quantifiable data, the QNI measures the internal value of a nationality. This refers to the quality of life and opportunities for personal growth within a country of origin.

It also measures the external value of a nationality, which identifies the diversity and quality of opportunities a nationality allows its citizens to pursue outside their country of origin.