Here is the list of 12 best countries with birthright citizenship, places that grant citizenship to children born on their soil regardless of the immigration status of their parents.
There are three ways by which a person acquires citizenship – by birth, by the right of blood and through the process of naturalization. The first principle, also known as jus soli, means that a person becomes a citizen of a country where he or she was born. While in the past citizenship was largely based on the place of birth, nowadays this is the case in a few countries which are almost all located in the North and South of the American continent. Only five countries in other parts of the world (Lesotho, Tuvalu, Tanzania, Fiji, Pakistan) grant birthright citizenship.
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The other two ways of gaining citizenship – by the right of blood, which is also called jus sanguinis, and through naturalization – are much more common. Jus sanguinis means that a child inherits citizenship from his parents while naturalization allows foreigners to get citizenship if they meet certain condition such as – residing in the country for a certain period of time or marrying a native.
The majority of countries which offer jus soli citizenship can be hardly called promised lands, but there are few places which are exceptions. According to different media reports, birth tourism, the practice of coming to a country only to deliver a baby, is booming in America and Canada, which also found a place on our previous list of 8 Easiest Developed Countries to Immigrate to. At the same time, voices against birthright citizenship are becoming louder in both countries, and the future of jus soli principle remains uncertain.
In creating the list of 12 countries with birthright citizenship, we relied on data obtained from CIA World Factbook regarding life expectancy, GDP per capita, expenditure on education and health. We ranked countries by these four criteria and then calculated the average ranking for each country to come up with the final list of best countries with birthright citizenship.
12. Mexico
Life expectancy: 75.9 years
GDP per capita: $17.500
Health expenditure: 6.3% of GDP
Education expenditure: 5.2% of GDP
We start our list of best countries with birthright citizenship with Mexico, a country which is far more known as an origin of thousands of illegal immigrants trying to cross the American border than a place which attracts foreigners looking for a better life. In the last few years, there has been a surge of Central Americans entering Mexico with the aim of reaching Texas. After America pressured Mexico to limit the influx of immigrants in 2014, the government started a campaign to secure the southern border. According to Reuters, one of the results of this security effort is increased abuse against immigrants.
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11. Venezuela
Life expectancy: 75.8 years
GDP per capita: $16.700
Health expenditure: 5.3% of GDP
Education expenditure: 6.9% of GDP
In the last 15 years between 1 and 1.3 million people have left Venezuela, while around 30% of the current population are preparing to leave the country. Economical and political situations are the driving forces behind the migration trend which spreads across all social classes. Emigrants’ main destination is the United Stated, or more precisely Florida, which is a home to more than 250,000 Venezuelans as well as Spain where 200,000 people born in Venezuela live.
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10. Barbados
Life expectancy: 75.3 years
GDP per capita: $16,600
Health expenditure: 7.5% of GDP
Education expenditure: 6.7% of GDP
Barbados was a British colony until 1966 when it achieved independence. Therefore the best thing about having Barbados citizenship is that you become Commonwealth citizen, which provides you with some privileges such as entering other Commonwealth countries without a visa, being eligible for Commonwealth scholarship, having the right to work at any position. In the United Kingdom, Commonwealth citizens have the right of abode, which is an unrestricted right to vote, live, work, study, and have access to social security in the UK.
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9. Saint Lucia
Life expectancy: 77.8 years
GDP per capita: $11,700
Health expenditure: 6.7% of GDP
Education expenditure: 4.8% of GDP
Saint Lucia ranks 9th on our list of best countries with birthright citizenship. It is the smallest country on the list with only 165,595 residents, the majority of whom live in the capital Castries. Like Barbados, it is also part of the Commonwealth nations, which is a reason why the United Kingdom is the most popular destination for the country’s emigrants.
8. Panama
Life expectancy: 78.6 years
GDP per capita: $21,800
Health expenditure: 8% of GDP
Education expenditure: 3.3% of GDP
We are continuing our list of best countries with birthright citizenship with Panama which is perhaps the easiest country on the list to obtain permanent residency. In 2012 Panama introduced the law under which citizens of 48 countries can become residents if they put at least $5.000 on the local bank account and decide to engage in some economic activity in the country, such as opening a new business, buying real-estate or getting a job in a local company. Immigration policy, together with recent economic growth, have turned Panama into a paradise for expats. At the same time, Panama is also said to be one of the most popular retirement destinations in the world.
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7. Paraguay
Life expectancy: 77.2 years
GDP per capita: $8,700
Health expenditure: 9.8% of GDP
Education expenditure: 5% of GDP
In recent years the Paraguay’s economy has experienced significant economic growth, which has reduced poverty and increased access to basic health care and education. However, one-quarter of residents still live below the poverty line while income inequality and high crime rate remain the main issues in the country.
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6. Brazil
Life expectancy: 73.8 years
GDP per capita: $15,600
Health expenditure: 8.3% of GDP
Education expenditure: 5.9% of GDP
After experiencing an economic boom during the first decades of the century, in 2014 Brazil entered the period of recession which has continued during subsequent years. During good times the country welcomed many immigrants from the poorest South American countries. However, in the last two years economic crisis, corruption, and political unrest have made Brazil look less appealing in the eyes of foreigners, while the percent of natives who leave the country has been growing.
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5. Uruguay
Life expectancy: 77.2 years
GDP per capita: $21,500
Health expenditure: 8.6% of GDP
Education expenditure: 4.4% of GDP
Fifth place on our list of 12 best countries with birthright citizenship, Uruguay, has the largest middle class in America, which accounts for 60% of the population, the lowest level of poverty and a small income gap. Extreme poverty is almost eradicated while the percent of moderately poor residents have dropped from 33% in 2006 to 9.7% in 2015. At the same time, the country has well developed social security system.
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4. Argentina
Life expectancy: 77.1 years
GDP per capita: $22,600
Health expenditure: 4.8% of GDP
Education expenditure: 5.3 of GDP
For years Argentina, the next one on our list of best countries with birthright citizenship has been seen as a promised land by workers from poorer South American countries, mainly Bolivia. More than three million Bolivians have left the country searching for employment opportunities, and a great majority of them (73%) have chosen Argentina as their final destination. The country has the second-largest immigrant population in the Latin America. In the last few months, anti-immigration rhetoric has been growing in Argentina, and the government officials have announced stronger immigration controls in the future.
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3. Costa Rica
Life expectancy: 78.6 years
GDP per capita: $15,500
Health expenditure: 9.3% of GDP
Education expenditure: 7% of GDP
Up next on our list of best countries with birthright citizenship is Costa Rica which has had problems with illegal immigration for years. According to the census from 2012, immigrants account for 9% of the total population, while the majority of them comes from Nicaragua and Columbia. The country has the highest immigrant population in the Latin America. Besides the influx of immigrants from nearby countries, the number of people from Africa, Asia, and Cuba who enter the country illegally has also been increasing in the last few years.
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2. Canada
Life expectancy: 81.9 years
GDP per capita: $45,600
Health expenditure: 10.4% of GDP
Education expenditure: 5.3% of GDP
Recently, a citizen of Richmond (British Columbia) launched an online petition asking the government to abolish birthright citizenship. The petition’s writer claims that jus soli “enables an abusive and exploitative practice often called ‘Birth Tourism”, which imposes a financial burden on Canada’s taxpayers. So far 8,886 Canadians have signed the document. On the other side, NGO warns that stories about the prevalence of birth tourism are overblown and that in reality there are a handful of women coming to Canada just to deliver a baby. How officials will respond to growing calls for changing existing laws remains to be seen.
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1. The United States of America
Life expectancy: 79.8 years
GDP per capita: $55,800
Health expenditure: 17.1% of GDP
Education expenditure: 5.2% of GDP
America ranks as first on the list of 12 best countries with birthright citizenship. Newly elected President Donald Trump, whose campaign was significantly based on anti-immigration rhetoric, said last year that he did not think that children born to illegal immigrants on the US soil were America’s citizens. He also claimed that birthright citizenship could be canceled without changing Constitution whose 14th Amendment says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside.” President Trump believes that passing a law in Congress would be enough to end jus soli principle. However, many legal scholars have emphasized that Donald Trump’s logic is wrong and that birthright citizenship cannot be abolished through the act of Congress.
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