Japan, Singapore, South Korea have the most powerful passports in the world
Forget Germany, France and the UK as having the most powerful passports. Three countries have now taken the top spot with these countries falling behind.
The March 2019 Henley
Passport Index shows Japan has maintained their holding of
first place on the Index but now share the top spot with Singapore and
South Korea, with citizens enjoying visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to
189 destinations — with Ukraine and Turkey suspending their
visa-on-arrival policies.
The US jumped up one spot to fifth place, while the UK shared sixth position with Belgium, Canada, Greece and Ireland with 184 destinations.
The Henley Passport Index is based on authoritative data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and bases its rankings on how many countries a passport entitles a traveller to enter without having to pre-apply for a visa.
The latest rankings are a further display of Asian passport power.
Germany, in second place with a visa-free score of 188, is just ahead of France, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden on 187.
Dr Christian H. Kälin, group chairman of Henley & Partners, says despite rising isolationist sentiment in some parts of the world, most countries remain committed to collaboration and mutually beneficial agreements.
China’s steady ascent up the rankings is a clear demonstration of this.
In 2017, the country was ranked 85th, with citizens able to access just 51 destinations. Now in 2019, China sits in 67th place with access to 74 countries around the world.
As in 2018, countries with citizenship-by-investment programs continue to hold their strong positions on the index.
One of the biggest climbers for this 2019 index was Albania, which has moved up 28 places in the past 10 years. Citizens of this once closed-off nation are now able to access 116 destinations without a prior visa.
The countries with the least amount of travel freedom include Pakistan, with holders only able to travel freely to 33 destinations, and Somalia and Syria at 32 destinations.
Afghanistan and Iraq ranked the lowest, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 30.
Top 10 from the Henley Passport Index:
1. Japan, Singapore, South Korea — 189 (destinations)
2. Germany — 188
3. France, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden — 187
4. Luxembourg, Spain — 186
5. Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, US — 185
6. UK, Belgium, Canada, Greece, Ireland — 184
7. Czech Republic — 183
8. Malta — 182
9. Australia, Iceland, New Zealand — 181
10. Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia — 180
The US jumped up one spot to fifth place, while the UK shared sixth position with Belgium, Canada, Greece and Ireland with 184 destinations.
The Henley Passport Index is based on authoritative data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and bases its rankings on how many countries a passport entitles a traveller to enter without having to pre-apply for a visa.
The latest rankings are a further display of Asian passport power.
Germany, in second place with a visa-free score of 188, is just ahead of France, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden on 187.
Dr Christian H. Kälin, group chairman of Henley & Partners, says despite rising isolationist sentiment in some parts of the world, most countries remain committed to collaboration and mutually beneficial agreements.
China’s steady ascent up the rankings is a clear demonstration of this.
In 2017, the country was ranked 85th, with citizens able to access just 51 destinations. Now in 2019, China sits in 67th place with access to 74 countries around the world.
As in 2018, countries with citizenship-by-investment programs continue to hold their strong positions on the index.
One of the biggest climbers for this 2019 index was Albania, which has moved up 28 places in the past 10 years. Citizens of this once closed-off nation are now able to access 116 destinations without a prior visa.
The countries with the least amount of travel freedom include Pakistan, with holders only able to travel freely to 33 destinations, and Somalia and Syria at 32 destinations.
Afghanistan and Iraq ranked the lowest, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 30.
Top 10 from the Henley Passport Index:
1. Japan, Singapore, South Korea — 189 (destinations)
2. Germany — 188
3. France, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden — 187
4. Luxembourg, Spain — 186
5. Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, US — 185
6. UK, Belgium, Canada, Greece, Ireland — 184
7. Czech Republic — 183
8. Malta — 182
9. Australia, Iceland, New Zealand — 181
10. Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia — 180
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