Orion 09by Capital & Control
Indexes/Tax

Tax Burden Index

Effective personal tax exposure for a mobile earner — headline income tax, plus how the jurisdiction treats foreign income, capital gains and wealth.

Median
42
Mean
52
Top decile from
90
Highest
100

What this index measures

Heaviest weight · scored 0–100

  1. 01

    Top marginal personal income tax rate

  2. 02

    Treatment of foreign-sourced income and remittances

  3. 03

    Capital gains, wealth and inheritance exposure

100 means no personal income tax at all. Scores in the 70s usually mean a territorial or remittance regime rather than a true zero.

How the score is weighted

Each input is normalised to 0–100 across all 209 jurisdictions, then combined at the weights below. Weights sum to 100 and are held constant across every jurisdiction in an edition, so scores stay comparable.

Heaviest weight in the composite

WeightingPublished
  • Top marginal personal income tax35% of the score

    Headline rate at the top band, including mandatory surcharges.

  • Treatment of foreign income25% of the score

    Worldwide, territorial, remittance or special-regime basis.

  • Capital gains exposure20% of the score

    Rate on listed securities and on real property disposals.

  • Wealth and inheritance12% of the score

    Net-wealth taxes, estate and gift duty, including spousal reliefs.

  • Social contributions and indirect tax8% of the score

    Employee social charges and headline VAT/GST.

Who leads it

The ten highest scores on this signal, with their overall standing beside them — the gap between the two columns is the trade-off.

  1. 01
    Cayman Islands
    Americas
    100ovr 60
  2. 02
    Bermuda
    Americas
    100ovr 57
  3. 03
    St Kitts and Nevis
    Americas
    100ovr 54
  4. 04
    British Virgin Islands
    Americas
    100ovr 54
  5. 05
    Antigua and Barbuda
    Americas
    100ovr 53
  6. 06
    Grenada
    Americas
    100ovr 53
  7. 07
    Bahamas
    Americas
    100ovr 53
  8. 08
    Dominica
    Americas
    100ovr 53
  9. 09
    Monaco
    Europe
    100ovr 53
  10. 10
    St Lucia
    Americas
    100ovr 53

How regions compare

Average score per region against its best case. A wide gap means the region is worth searching; a narrow one means the whole region behaves the same way.

  • Middle East
    65 / 100
  • Americas
    60 / 100
  • Europe
    55 / 100
  • Asia
    54 / 100
  • Oceania
    46 / 100
  • Africa
    41 / 45

Full ranking

Continent209 shown
Sort byTax
Tax · highest first
Search
Tax system
CFC rules
#JurisdictionRegionTaxTax systemCFC rulesOrion Index Score
001Cayman IslandsAmericas
100
Not yet covered—6092% rated
002BermudaAmericas
100
Not yet covered—5792% rated
003St Kitts and NevisAmericas
100
Not yet covered—5473% rated
004British Virgin IslandsAmericas
100
Not yet covered—5487% rated
005Antigua and BarbudaAmericas
100
Not yet covered—5373% rated
006GrenadaAmericas
100
Not yet covered—5373% rated
007BahamasAmericas
100
Not yet covered—5373% rated
008DominicaAmericas
100
Not yet covered—5373% rated
009MonacoEurope
100
Not yet covered—5373% rated
010St LuciaAmericas
100
Not yet covered—5373% rated
011QatarMiddle East
100
Not yet covered—5194% rated
012BruneiAsia
100
Not yet covered—5073% rated
013VanuatuOceania
100
Not yet covered—5073% rated
014BahrainMiddle East
100
Not yet covered—5092% rated
015Saudi ArabiaMiddle East
100
Not yet covered—4995% rated
016MaldivesAsia
100
Not yet covered—4873% rated
017OmanMiddle East
100
Not yet covered—4887% rated
018Vatican CityEurope
100
Not yet covered—4773% rated
019KuwaitMiddle East
100
Not yet covered—4792% rated
020UAEMiddle East
98
Not yet covered—5094% rated
021ParaguayAmericas
90
Not yet covered—4973% rated
022AndorraEurope
85
Not yet covered—6281% rated
023GeorgiaEurope
85
Not yet covered—5373% rated
024MontenegroEurope
85
Not yet covered—5373% rated
025Hong KongAsia
85
Not yet covered—4573% rated
026San MarinoEurope
82
Not yet covered—5373% rated
027BulgariaEurope
82
Not yet covered—5173% rated
028GibraltarEurope
80
Not yet covered—5487% rated
029SingaporeAsia
80
Not yet covered—5373% rated
030Isle of ManEurope
80
Not yet covered—5187% rated
031PanamaAmericas
78
Not yet covered—5173% rated
032GuernseyEurope
78
Not yet covered—5187% rated
033JerseyEurope
78
Not yet covered—5187% rated
034KazakhstanAsia
78
Not yet covered—4573% rated
035RussiaEurope
78
Not yet covered—3973% rated
036EstoniaEurope
72
Not yet covered—6281% rated
037MalaysiaAsia
72
Not yet covered—5073% rated
038MacauAsia
72
Not yet covered—4673% rated
039BelarusEurope
72
Not yet covered—4073% rated
040CyprusEurope
70
Not yet covered—5978% rated
041Costa RicaAmericas
70
Not yet covered—4973% rated
042SwitzerlandEurope
65
Not yet covered—77100% rated
043LatviaEurope
65
Not yet covered—5073% rated
044LiechtensteinEurope
65
Not yet covered—4973% rated
045SerbiaEurope
65
Not yet covered—4873% rated
046ThailandAsia
65
Not yet covered—4673% rated
047UkraineEurope
65
Not yet covered—3473% rated
048LithuaniaEurope
60
Not yet covered—5073% rated
049ColombiaAmericas
60
Not yet covered—4773% rated
050IndiaAsia
58
Not yet covered—4273% rated
051ChinaAsia
58
Not yet covered—3673% rated
052IcelandEurope
55
Not yet covered—4973% rated
053TaiwanAsia
55
Not yet covered—4873% rated
054RomaniaEurope
55
Not yet covered—4773% rated
055MexicoAmericas
55
Not yet covered—4673% rated
056TurkeyAsia
55
Not yet covered—4573% rated
057Bosnia and HerzegovinaEurope
55
Not yet covered—4373% rated
058IndonesiaAsia
55
Not yet covered—4373% rated
059VietnamAsia
55
Not yet covered—4373% rated
060MaltaEurope
50
Not yet covered—5173% rated
061IsraelMiddle East
50
Not yet covered—4673% rated
062PhilippinesAsia
50
Not yet covered—3973% rated
063CubaAmericas
50
Not yet covered—3873% rated
064BangladeshAsia
50
Not yet covered—3573% rated
065North KoreaAsia
50
Not yet covered—2673% rated
066New ZealandOceania
48
Not yet covered—5073% rated
067CroatiaEurope
48
Not yet covered—4873% rated
068AlbaniaEurope
48
Not yet covered—4573% rated
069AustraliaOceania
45
Not yet covered—4973% rated
070MauritiusAfrica
45
Not yet covered—4773% rated
071CanadaAmericas
45
Not yet covered—4773% rated
072PolandEurope
45
Not yet covered—4673% rated
073SlovakiaEurope
45
Not yet covered—4673% rated
074North MacedoniaEurope
45
Not yet covered—4573% rated
075ArgentinaAmericas
45
Not yet covered—4373% rated
076BelizeAmericas
45
Not yet covered—4273% rated
077South AfricaAfrica
45
Not yet covered—4273% rated
078MoldovaEurope
45
Not yet covered—4173% rated
079JamaicaAmericas
45
Not yet covered—3973% rated
080BhutanAsia
45
Not yet covered—3973% rated
081NepalAsia
45
Not yet covered—3773% rated
082LaosAsia
45
Not yet covered—3773% rated
083Timor-LesteAsia
45
Not yet covered—3773% rated
084PakistanAsia
45
Not yet covered—3473% rated
085MyanmarAsia
45
Not yet covered—2873% rated
086PalestineMiddle East
45
Not yet covered—2673% rated
087LuxembourgEurope
42
Not yet covered—6089% rated
088Czech RepublicEurope
42
Not yet covered—4773% rated
089UruguayAmericas
42
Not yet covered—4773% rated
090BarbadosAmericas
42
Not yet covered—4673% rated
091ChileAmericas
42
Not yet covered—4673% rated
092South KoreaAsia
42
Not yet covered—4673% rated
093SeychellesAfrica
42
Not yet covered—4573% rated
094Cape VerdeAfrica
42
Not yet covered—4473% rated
095HungaryEurope
42
Not yet covered—4473% rated
096BrazilAmericas
42
Not yet covered—4373% rated
097MoroccoAfrica
42
Not yet covered—4373% rated
098TunisiaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—4373% rated
099ArmeniaAsia
42
Not yet covered—4273% rated
100FijiOceania
42
Not yet covered—4273% rated
101St Vincent & GrenadinesAmericas
42
Not yet covered—4273% rated
102BotswanaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—4273% rated
103Cook IslandsOceania
42
Not yet covered—4273% rated
104GhanaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—4273% rated
105PeruAmericas
42
Not yet covered—4273% rated
106Dominican RepublicAmericas
42
Not yet covered—4173% rated
107EcuadorAmericas
42
Not yet covered—4173% rated
108NamibiaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—4173% rated
109RwandaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—4073% rated
110SamoaOceania
42
Not yet covered—4073% rated
111SenegalAfrica
42
Not yet covered—4073% rated
112Sri LankaAsia
42
Not yet covered—4073% rated
113TongaOceania
42
Not yet covered—4073% rated
114KosovoEurope
42
Not yet covered—3973% rated
115NiueOceania
42
Not yet covered—3973% rated
116Trinidad and TobagoAmericas
42
Not yet covered—3973% rated
117AzerbaijanAsia
42
Not yet covered—3973% rated
118GuatemalaAmericas
42
Not yet covered—3973% rated
119KenyaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3973% rated
120PalauOceania
42
Not yet covered—3973% rated
121TanzaniaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3973% rated
122BoliviaAmericas
42
Not yet covered—3873% rated
123Marshall IslandsOceania
42
Not yet covered—3873% rated
124EgyptAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
125GuyanaAmericas
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
126MicronesiaOceania
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
127NicaraguaAmericas
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
128Sao Tome & PrincipeAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
129SurinameAmericas
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
130UzbekistanAsia
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
131GambiaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
132Ivory CoastAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
133MadagascarAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
134MalawiAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
135TuvaluOceania
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
136ZambiaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3773% rated
137BeninAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3673% rated
138HondurasAmericas
42
Not yet covered—3673% rated
139KiribatiOceania
42
Not yet covered—3673% rated
140NauruOceania
42
Not yet covered—3673% rated
141Solomon IslandsOceania
42
Not yet covered—3673% rated
142UgandaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3673% rated
143ComorosAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3573% rated
144DjiboutiAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3573% rated
145EswatiniAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3573% rated
146GabonAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3573% rated
147MozambiqueAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3573% rated
148Sierra LeoneAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3573% rated
149TogoAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3573% rated
150CameroonAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3473% rated
151LesothoAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3473% rated
152NigeriaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3473% rated
153TajikistanAsia
42
Not yet covered—3473% rated
154AngolaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3473% rated
155LiberiaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3473% rated
156Papua New GuineaOceania
42
Not yet covered—3473% rated
157ZimbabweAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3473% rated
158EthiopiaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3373% rated
159GuineaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3373% rated
160MauritaniaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3373% rated
161BurundiAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3273% rated
162CongoAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3273% rated
163Guinea-BissauAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3273% rated
164TurkmenistanAsia
42
Not yet covered—3273% rated
165Burkina FasoAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3173% rated
166Equatorial GuineaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3173% rated
167MaliAfrica
42
Not yet covered—3073% rated
168NigerAfrica
42
Not yet covered—2973% rated
169VenezuelaAmericas
42
Not yet covered—2973% rated
170ChadAfrica
42
Not yet covered—2873% rated
171DR CongoAfrica
42
Not yet covered—2873% rated
172EritreaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—2873% rated
173Central African RepublicAfrica
42
Not yet covered—2673% rated
174SomaliaAfrica
42
Not yet covered—2373% rated
175IrelandEurope
40
Not yet covered—6695% rated
176PortugalEurope
40
Not yet covered—6081% rated
177CambodiaAsia
40
Not yet covered—3973% rated
178USAAmericas
40
Not yet covered—3973% rated
179El SalvadorAmericas
40
Not yet covered—3873% rated
180KyrgyzstanAsia
40
Not yet covered—3773% rated
181AfghanistanAsia
40
Not yet covered—2373% rated
182GreeceEurope
38
Not yet covered—4773% rated
183FinlandEurope
35
Not yet covered—69100% rated
184NorwayEurope
35
Not yet covered—6495% rated
185SpainEurope
35
Not yet covered—5073% rated
186SloveniaEurope
35
Not yet covered—4773% rated
187United KingdomEurope
35
Not yet covered—4373% rated
188JordanMiddle East
35
Not yet covered—3973% rated
189MongoliaAsia
35
Not yet covered—3773% rated
190AlgeriaAfrica
35
Not yet covered—3573% rated
191LebanonMiddle East
35
Not yet covered—3373% rated
192IranMiddle East
35
Not yet covered—2973% rated
193HaitiAmericas
35
Not yet covered—2773% rated
194IraqMiddle East
35
Not yet covered—2773% rated
195Western SaharaAfrica
35
Not yet covered—2673% rated
196LibyaAfrica
35
Not yet covered—2473% rated
197SyriaMiddle East
35
Not yet covered—2473% rated
198South SudanAfrica
35
Not yet covered—2373% rated
199SudanAfrica
35
Not yet covered—2373% rated
200YemenMiddle East
35
Not yet covered—2373% rated
201GermanyEurope
30
Not yet covered—6695% rated
202AustriaEurope
30
Not yet covered—6595% rated
203SwedenEurope
30
Not yet covered—6395% rated
204ItalyEurope
30
Not yet covered—4673% rated
205NetherlandsEurope
28
Not yet covered—6595% rated
206DenmarkEurope
25
Not yet covered—6395% rated
207FranceEurope
25
Not yet covered—4573% rated
208BelgiumEurope
25
Not yet covered—4473% rated
209JapanAsia
20
Not yet covered—4573% rated
At the other end

The five lowest scores on this signal: Japan (20), Belgium (25), France (25), Denmark (25), Netherlands (28). A weak score here is not disqualifying on its own — read it against the composite.

Where this comes from

Each input is normalised to a 0–100 scale and weighted into the score above. We cite the underlying publication rather than the aggregator wherever one exists.

Edition 2026.1 · reviewed quarterly

  1. 01Worldwide Personal Tax and Immigration Guide
    EY

    Headline personal rates, residence tests and treatment of foreign income.

  2. 02Worldwide Tax Summaries
    PwC

    Capital gains, wealth and inheritance exposure by jurisdiction.

  3. 03Tax Database — personal income tax rates
    OECD

    Comparable effective rate benchmarks for OECD members.

Read next

Orion Index Score
Composite

The weighted composite of thirteen factors across four groups — financial, mobility & access, human development & services, and safety & livability. It answers one question: on balance, how well does this jurisdiction serve someone who can choose where to live and where to hold capital?

Cost of Living Index
Moderate

What a comparable standard of living costs on the ground — housing, schooling, services and the everyday basket.

Safety Index
High

Personal and civil safety — violent crime, property crime, and the risk of disorder or conflict spilling into daily life.

Healthcare Index
High

Quality, access and cost of care for a resident who is paying privately or through a local scheme.

Passport Strength Index
Moderate

What the travel document is worth — visa-free reach, treaty position, and whether citizenship is realistically attainable.

Residency Access Index
Heaviest weight

How hard it is to actually land — time, cost, paperwork and the physical presence a jurisdiction demands of you.

209 jurisdictions · Edition 2026.1 · scores are informational, not tax advice