The annual 10th edition of the Citizenship-by-Investment (CBI) Index has awarded Antigua and Barbuda a maximum 10 out of 10 rating in its Family category, placing the Caribbean nation among a small group of top global performers for flexible family inclusion in investment-linked citizenship programs. Antigua and Barbuda shares the highest ranking with two other nations — fellow Caribbean country Grenada and Pacific island state Nauru, which climbed into the top tier this year following a comprehensive re-evaluation of its relatively new CBI offering.
The Family category of the CBI Index is designed to evaluate how broadly and accommodatively CBI programs allow primary investors to extend citizenship eligibility to immediate and extended family members. Unlike basic program requirements that almost universally cover spouses and minor children, the assessment digs deeper into provisions for extended relatives that vary dramatically across global programs. Examiners look at eligibility for adult children, parents, grandparents, siblings, and qualifying relatives of the primary applicant’s spouse, as well as the strictness of eligibility criteria for each group.
For example, programs that allow adult children over the age of 18 to qualify with minimal restrictions earn higher marks than those that require applicants to prove a high level of financial dependency on the primary investor. The assessment framework also explicitly accounts for special provisions supporting disabled dependents, recognizing the unique accessibility needs that many families seek when evaluating CBI options. The index also draws a key distinction between relatives eligible to apply for citizenship alongside the primary applicant and those who can only join the program after the initial application is approved, with more flexible inclusion policies receiving higher scores.
The 2026 report attributes the top scores of Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada to their longstanding application structures built to accommodate a wide range of dependents, a strength that has allowed both countries to retain their top positions from previous index cycles. While a perfect score reflects the exceptional breadth and flexibility of Antigua and Barbuda’s family provisions, it does not mean any relative automatically qualifies; all applicants are still required to meet the program’s official eligibility rules.
Following the three top-performing nations, Saint Lucia, Dominica, and Malta each earned nine points in the family assessment, while St. Kitts and Nevis received eight points. The report notes that these programs all offer comparatively broad family eligibility, but narrow gaps in their coverage of adult children, parents, and other extended relatives kept them from achieving a maximum score. Vanuatu followed with seven points, while Egypt, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Türkiye each earned five points. Austria and Jordan received four points, and Cambodia closed out the rankings with two points, the lowest score among the 14 CBI programs evaluated in the 2026 index.
As one of nine core metrics used in the annual CBI Index, the family provisions score helps prospective investors compare programs based on their specific family needs. For Antigua and Barbuda, the perfect score cements generous dependent inclusion as a defining competitive strength of its citizenship-by-investment offering in a growing global market.