This month, the International Air Transport Association issued the so-called 2023 Henley Passport Indexwhich reveals the world’s most powerful passports.
The Henley Passport Index measures visa-free access to 227 destinations worldwide. It ranks world passports by the variety of destinations that their holders can access with out a prior visa.
A key takeaway from the index is what they call “a direct link between the strength of a passport and access to the global economy.”
For instance, a Japanese passport allows visa-free access to 193 destinations, which accounts for as much as 98% of the global economy. On the other hand, nationals of the lowest-ranked countries in the index, resembling Afghanistan, Iraq (visa-free 29) and Syria (visa-free 30), are effectively cut off from various opportunities for economic mobility and growth.
The world’s #1 most powerful passport: Japan
Japan topped the index as the most powerful country in the world for the fifth yr in a row.
As of 2023, Japanese passport holders can travel visa-free to 193 out of 227 destinations, representing 85% of the world’s land area, in keeping with data from the International Air Transport Association compiled by Henley & Partners.
The most powerful passports in the world
- Japan
- Singapore and South Korea
- Germany and Spain
- Finland, Italy and Luxembourg
- Austria, Denmark, Holland, Sweden
- France, Ireland, Portugal and Great Britain
- Belgium, Czech Republic, Latest Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United States
- Australia, Canada, Greece and Malta
- Hungary and Poland
- Lithuania and Slovakia
Two other countries in Asia ranked second: South Korea and Singapore. Each passports allow residents with passports to enter 192 countries with out a visa.
Germany and Spain rank third with access to 190 destinations.
The US Passport was tied for seventh with Belgium, the Czech Republic, Latest Zealand, Norway and Switzerland. All countries offer residents visa-free visits to 186 countries.
While the Henley Passport Index states that it expects the US to stay solidly at no. 7 on the list, last yr’s Global Citizen Solutions Global Passport Index ranked the U.S. Passport as the world’s most powerful, based on its rating of investment, quality of life, and increased mobility metrics in 2022.
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