For the third year running, Japan remains the world’s most powerful passport. Singapore, which tied with Japan previously for the top spot, lost out.
The East Asian nation bagged a score of 191, pulling ahead of Singapore due to its receipt of visa-on-arrival access to Saudi Arabia, which Singapore failed to obtain. As a result, Singapore now sits in second place, offering its passport holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index released on Tuesday night.
Ranked third on the list are Germany and South Korea, with the latter slipping another spot in the ranking. Both countries’ passport holders can access a total of 189 destinations without a prior visa.
Other Top Scorers
Finland and Italy both ranked fourth with a score of 188, while Denmark, Luxembourg and Spain together hold the fifth position with a score of 187. At the bottom of the index is Afghanistan, unchanged from last year, with its citizens only able to visit 26 destinations without a prior visa.
«Based on our ongoing research, countries that embrace this new reality of global mobility are thriving, with their citizens enjoying ever-increasing passport power and travel freedom, as well as the array of benefits that come with it,» said Dominic Volek, head of South-east Asia and managing partner at Henley & Partners.
Largest Mobility Gap
The latest results of the Henley Passport Index also indicate a growing divide in travel freedom, with Japanese passport holders able to access 165 more destinations around the world than Afghan nationals, Henley & Partners noted.
«This extraordinary global mobility gap is the starkest it has been since the index’s inception in 2006,» the firm added. The index is compiled by Henley & Partners, a London-headquartered citizenship and residence advisory firm, based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association.
