Despite rising isolationist sentiments in some parts of the world, many Asian countries remain committed to collaboration. The U.S. and the U.K. continue to drop down the Henley Passport Index.

Japan goes into the new year holding 1st place on the Henley Passport Index, with citizens enjoying visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations. In a further display of Asian passport power, Singapore and South Korea now sit in joint 2nd place, with access to 189 destinations around the globe. This marks a new high for South Korea, which moved up the ranking following a recent visa-on-arrival agreement with India.

«This latest ranking shows that despite rising isolationist sentiment in some parts of the world, many countries remain committed to collaboration. The general spread of open-door policies has the potential to contribute billions to the global economy, as well as create significant employment opportunities around the world,» Christian H. Kalin, Group Chairman of Henley & Partners and the inventor of the Passport Index concept, said.

Foreign Affairs Approach

«South Korea and the United Arab Emirates’ recent ascent in the rankings are further examples of what happens when countries take a proactive foreign affairs approach, an attitude which significantly benefits their citizens as well as the international community,» he added.

Asian countries’ continued dominance of the Henley Passport Index reflects the extraordinary effect that international mobility and migration has had on the region. Commenting in the report, Parag Khanna, the Founder and Managing Partner of FutureMap in Singapore, noted: «China’s Thousand Talents scheme, Thailand’s entrepreneur visa, and similar initiatives from the UAE to Singapore show many states sustaining a high comfort level with mutually beneficial economic migration.»

International Immigration

China’s steady ascent up the rankings over the past few years is a clear demonstration of this. In 2017, the country was ranked 85th, with citizens able to access just 51 destinations. Going into 2019, China sits in 69th place, with its nationals now able to access 74 countries and territories around the world.

«Overall, international migration has not only helped stabilize economic growth in Asia Pacific but enabled many labor-sending South and Southeast Asian countries to sustain strong economic growth, even in times of crisis,» Froilan Malit, an Associate at the Gulf Labour Markets, Migration, and Population (GLMM) program, said.

Significant Fall

The U.S. and the U.K. continue to drop down the Henley Passport Index — which is based on authoritative data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) — and now sit in joint 6th place, with access to 185 destinations.

This is a significant fall from the 1st place position that these countries held in 2015. Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Sweden now hold joint 4th place, while Spain and Luxembourg are in 5th. As they have done for much of the index’s 14-year history, Iraq and Afghanistan remain at the bottom of the ranking, with access to just 30 visa-free destinations.

  • The Henley Passport Index is updated in real-time, as and when visa-policy changes come into effect. Along with the Henley & Partners – Kochenov Quality of Nationality Index, it is considered a major reference tool for global citizens and the standard reference for governments in this field.