This month, the International Air Transport Association issued 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 number of destinations their holders can get to without a prior visa.
A key finding of the index is what they call “a direct link between the strength of passports and access to the global economy.”
For example, a Japanese passport allows visa-free access to 193 destinations, representing an incredible 98% of the global economy. On the other hand, citizens of countries with the lowest ranking on the index, such as Afghanistan, Iraq (visa-free score of 29) and Syria (visa-free score of 30), are effectively excluded from various opportunities for economic mobility and growth.
The most powerful passport in the world: Japan
Japan tops the index as the country with the most powerful countries in the world for the fifth consecutive year.
As of 2023, Japanese passport holders can visit 193 of 227 destinations visa-free, or 85% of the world, according to International Air Carriers Association data 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, Netherlands, Sweden
- France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom
- Belgium, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the USA
- Australia, Canada, Greece and Malta
- Hungary and Poland
- Lithuania and Slovakia
Two other countries in Asia came in second: South Korea and Singapore. Both passports allow passport holders to visit 192 countries without a visa.
Germany and Spain ranked third with access to 190 destinations.
The American passport was ranked seventh with Belgium, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland. All countries offer visa-free visits to citizens of 186 countries.
Although the Henley Passport Index says it expects the US to remain firmly at no. 7 on the list, last year’s Global Citizen Solutions Global Passport Index named the U.S. passport the world’s best performer based on investment, quality of life and increased mobility indices in 2022.
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