World’s most powerful passport changes for first time in five years

Japan has finally been knocked off its perch as the world’s most powerful passport, for the first time in five years.

The top spot has now been claimed by Singapore in the latest Henley Passport Index.

The previous frontrunner moved down two places, bumped into third, while Germany, Italy and Spain moved up into joint second place.

The index ranks countries according to the number of destinations their passport holders can visit visa-free, or by obtaining a visa on arrival, and is based on official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Singapore’s citizens are able to visit 192 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free, while the joint second-placers allow access to 190. Japan is joined by Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden in offering visa-free access to 189 countries.

Following a six-year steady decline, the UK has finally jumped two places in the latest index with visa-free access to 188 destinations, moving from sixth to fourth place, which it shares with Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands. It last held this position in 2017.

The top five is rounded out by six countries all on 187: Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland.

Meanwhile, the US has dropped further down the rankings. In 2014, it held joint first place with the UK; in the latest report, it has fallen two places since the previous index, and now shares eighth place with Lithuania, with a score of 184 visa-free destinations.

At the other end of the scale, Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the list, with a visa-free access score of just 27, followed by Iraq (29), and Syria (30).

Although the general trend over the history of the 18-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, with the average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2023, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is wider than it has ever been. Top-ranked Singapore offers access to 165 more destinations than Afghanistan without a visa.

“Far more than just a travel document that defines our freedom of movement, a strong passport also provides significant financial freedoms in terms of international investment and business opportunities,” said Dr Christian H Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners.

“Global connectivity and access have become indispensable features of wealth creation and preservation, and its value will only grow as geopolitical volatility and regional instability increase.”