St Lucia

St Lucia

Lesser Antilles

Caribbean
52
Overall score
Moderate overall · Penalty applied · 87% data coverage
Language
English
Currency
XCD
Citizenship
~4–6 months (by investment)
Personal tax
10–30%
Cost of living
$1,300 / mo (single)
Overall scoring rubric
56
Access

How easy it is to get in, stay, and build status.

17% of Overall
42Residence12%
88Citizenship and passport5%
62
Earning power

How far local income goes after prices.

25% of Overall
57Salary and work12%
67Buying power13%
64
Business and wealth

How friendly the country is for taxes, companies, and investing.

20% of Overall
80Taxes7%
54Business8%
56Investment5%
52
Daily life

How comfortable everyday life is for families and long stays.

25% of Overall
52Quality of life18%
52Education7%
78
Rights and institutions

How reliable freedoms and institutions are.

13% of Overall
90Freedom6%
68Rule of law7%

Penalty: Severe safety risk (33) cut the overall score from 61 to 52. Safety measures the homicide rate, political stability, and control of corruption.

Healthcare (69) clears the 40 floor, so no penalty applies.

Environment (93) clears the 35 floor, so no penalty applies.

Rights and institutions (78) clears the 30 floor, so no penalty applies.

Overall score
Final weighted result
52

The newest of the five Caribbean CBI programmes (since 2015): an English-speaking volcanic island offering a donation or real-estate route to a second passport, with no tax on foreign income or capital gains.

Pros

  • Multiple flexible investment options
  • No capital-gains or wealth tax
  • English-speaking; dual citizenship allowed

Cons

  • Small economy & job market
  • Limited universities
  • Hurricane exposure

Best for

Second-passport seekersRemote workersTax planners

Score profile

Access
Residence
42
Citizenship
97
Passport
70
Earning power
Salary & work
57
Buying power
67
Cost of living
68
Economy
72
Business and wealth
Taxes
80
Personal tax
45
Corporate tax
14
Business
54
Investment
56
Wealth building
62
Daily life
Safety
33
Healthcare
69
Environment
93
Infrastructure
Education
52
HDI
75
Rights and institutions
Freedom
90
Rule of law
68

Access

Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Limited
42
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines international migrant stock (40%), regulatory quality (20%), the breadth of named residence pathways (25%), and time to permanent residence (15%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Migrant stock4.5% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality0.18 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
Citizenship by InvestmentDon't-Stop-Working remote visaReal-estate ownership
StudentLimited local sector.
WorkWork permits available; small market.
Self-employedCompany formation straightforward; foreign income untaxed.
PermanentCBI grants citizenship directly.
Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Excellent
97
Years required~4–6 months via Citizenship by Investment
Dual allowedtrue
LanguageNone
ResidenceNo physical-residence requirement for the investment route
NotesNational Economic Fund donation (from ~US$240k) or approved real estate; due diligence required.
Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Good
70

Passport-index style mobility for the St Lucia passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

138 / 198
Mobility
#37
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free100
  • On arrival34
  • eTA4
  • Visa required60

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Earning power

Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Moderate
57
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$48,000 PPP (2024)
Unemployment9.5% (2025)
Participation68.3% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$559 · $760 PPP (2016)
Tech (IT & comms)$523 · $711 PPP (2016)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

FreelanceSuited to foreign-source remote income
Job marketTourism-led economy plus CBI revenue.
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Good
67
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$26,180 PPP (2025)
Price level59 (US = 100) (2025)
Income inequality43.7 Gini (2015)
Inflation2.0% / yr (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Cost of living
Affordability
Good
68

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level59 (US = 100) (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rent$700–1,200 (1BR)
Monthly$1,300
CitiesCastries, Gros Islet, Soufrière
Economy
Economic strength
Good
72
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$2.7B (2025)
GDP / person$14,746 (2025)
GNI / person$26,180 PPP (2025)
GDP growth3.9% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation2.0% / yr (2025)
Unemployment9.5% (2025)
Output per worker$48,000 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture1.7% of GDP (2025)
Industry10.7% of GDP (2025)
Services73.8% of GDP (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
TourismAgriculture (bananas)Citizenship-by-investmentFinancial servicesLight manufacturing
Top exports
BananasBeer & beveragesTourism services
TypeUpper-middle-income, tourism-led
Key sectorsTourism, Agriculture, CBI programme revenue
SummaryA tourism-dependent Eastern Caribbean economy with bananas and citizenship-by-investment as key earners.
CurrencyEast Caribbean dollar (pegged to the US dollar)

Business and wealth

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Excellent
80
Personal10–30% on local income; foreign income untaxed
Corporate30%
Capital gains0%
Dividends0% for residents
Exit taxNone
Foreign cosNo CFC regime
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Moderate
45
Personal10–30% on local income; foreign income untaxed
FreelanceForeign-source income untaxed
Capital gains0%
Dividends0% for residents
Exit taxNone
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Low
14
Corporate30%
Capital gains0%
Dividends0% for residents
Foreign cosNo CFC regime
Business
Business friendliness
Moderate
54
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score measures the operating environment without counting tax a second time: company formation and ownership rules contribute 40%, regulatory quality 30%, and government effectiveness 30%. Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality0.18 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness0.27 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Operating rules
Foreign co.Yes: full foreign ownership; IBC regime
Local co.Quick formation via agents
FreelanceForeign-source income untaxed
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Moderate
56
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score measures market access without counting tax a second time: broker availability contributes 50%, equity-market depth 30%, and private credit depth 20%. Available indicators are reweighted.

Private credit52% of GDP (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gains0% capital-gains tax
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxNone
BrokersVia international brokers
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Moderate
62
How this score is calculated

How favourable St Lucia is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Moderate
57
Business
Moderate
54
Investment
Moderate
56
Tax friendliness
Excellent
80
Cost of living
Good
68

Daily life

Safety
Safety & stability
Limited
33
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 50%), political stability and absence of violence (30%), and control of corruption (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate39.0 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Control of corruption0.45 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability1.04 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Good
69
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy72.8 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality17.2 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians4.23 per 1,000 (2020)
Hospital beds1.09 per 1,000 (2022)
Health spending$1,228 PPP / person (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemPublic + private; complex cases referred abroad
InsuranceInternational insurance recommended
Avg costInternational cover advisable
Environment
Environment score
Excellent
93
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines annual population-weighted PM2.5 exposure at 60% with freshwater stress at 40%. Lower exposure and lower water stress score better. Air quality alone can produce a score because it covers most countries; water stress alone cannot.

Environmental pressure
PM2.5 exposure10.4 μg/m³ annually (2023)
Water stress14.3% (2022)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Data not available
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use68.2% (2024)
Internet resilience45 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed75 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed70 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access100.0% (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Education
Education score
Moderate
52
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling12.7 years (2023)
Mean schooling8.6 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment15% gross (2023)
Education spending3.8% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

TuitionLimited local options
Public uniSmall sector; most study abroad
LanguagesEnglish
Student workLimited
HDI
Human development score
Good
75
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.748 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy72.7 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling12.7 years (2023)
Mean schooling8.6 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$20,900 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Rights and institutions

Freedom
Freedom score
Excellent
90
How this score is calculated

The score weights Freedom House’s 0–100 Freedom in the World score at 60% and its Freedom on the Net score at 40%. If either report does not cover a country, the available score is used alone. Scores of 70 and above are rated “Free”, 40–69 “Partly free”, and below 40 “Not free”.

Freedom in the World90 / 100 (Free)
Rule of law
Rule of law score
Good
68
How this score is calculated

The World Bank’s Rule of Law indicator captures how well contracts are enforced and how independent and effective the courts, police and property-rights regime are. We show its 0–100 percentile rank, where higher means stronger, more predictable institutions.

Rule of Law percentile68 / 100
Resources

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.