Japan sits on top of the world’s most powerful passport in 2023, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
Singapore and South Korea follow Japan in the second and third rank as the most powerful passports which each has 192 visa-free destinations, while Japan itself provides 193 visa-free destinations. The next rankings are occupied by Germany and Spain with 190 visa-free destinations.
Other strong Asian passports include Malaysia which is ranked 14 with 179 visa-free destinations, UAE ranking 15, as well as Hong Kong at 19th position with 171 free destinations. Meanwhile, China is noted at rank 66 with 80 visa-free destinations.
Least Powerful Passports
For the least powerful passports, Afghanistan sits on top, followed by Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
Based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the international consultancy Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports which are scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free.
The list by January 2023
- Japan (193 destinations)
- Singapore, South Korea (192 destinations)
- Germany, Spain (190 destinations)
- Finland, Italy and Luxembourg (189 destinations)
- Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden (188 destinations)
- France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom (187 destinations)
- Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States (186 destinaions)
- Australia, Canada, Greece and Malta (185 destinations)
- Hungary, Poland (184 destinations)
- Lithuania, Slovakia (183 destinations)
