Which shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point, Japan has the most powerful passport in the world, at least according to Henley Passport Index 2023. The index has considered the Japanese passport to be “the most powerful in the world” fifth year in a row.
As of 2023, Japanese passport holders can visit 193 of 227 visa-free destinations — or 85% of the world, according to data from the International Air Transport Association compiled by Henley & Partners.
Every quarter, the London-based residency and citizenship consulting firm publishes a report that ranks passports by the number of destinations their holders can visit without a prior visa.
Two Asian countries tied for second place: Korean and Singaporean eligible to visit 192 countries without a visa. Germany and Spain came in third place with access to 190 destinations, while Finland, Italy and Luxembourg is next with just under 189 countries. Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands come in fifth place with a score of 188.
US passport in seventh place — along with Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland — offering citizens easy travel to 186 countries.
“The UK and the US remain in 6th and 7th places, with scores of 187 and 186, respectively, and it seems increasingly unlikely that either country will regain the top spot in terms of indicators. number that they jointly held nearly a decade ago in 2014.” the group said in a Press Release January 10th.
In addition to visa-free entry to certain countries, the report also points to a direct link between economic strength and strength based on gross domestic product data from the World Bank.
“For example, the Japanese passport… allows visa-free travel to 193 destinations. Collectively, these countries account for 98% of the global economy,” according to the report. “To contrast this number with passports from the lower end, Nigerian passport holders can only visit 46 visa-free destinations (20% of the world), with these countries accounting for only 1.5% of global GDP. bridge.”
While the United States contributes the most to the world’s GDP globally, the visa exemption (or lack of it) for some countries will hamper America’s spending power abroad.
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Even so, the visa-free travel opportunities granted by US passports exceed most of the world. According to the report, only 6% of countries worldwide offer visa-free access to their citizens to more than 70% of the global economy, while less than a quarter offer visa-free access to more than 80% of the 227 destinations. world.
Henley expects the US to hold onto the 7th spot. However, it does highlight the success stories of countries that have seen growth in growth over the past decade — namely the United Arab Emirates. , has risen 49 places since 2012. Back then, the UAE ranked 64th, with a visa-free score of just 72. Today, UAE nationals can visit 178 countries visa-free, with a change in the list. their national book in 2015 when the UAE and the European Union signed a short-term visa agreement for a 90-day stay in any 180-day period.
Other Middle Eastern countries, including Kuwait and Cataare expected to sign a visa-free agreement with the EU later this year, further raising their Passport Index score.
“They are poised for strong and much improved economic performance,” said Dr. Robert Mogielnicki, a senior resident scholar at the Institute of Arab Gulf States. “Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup presents a great opportunity to market this small Gulf country to a global audience and the World Bank predicts Kuwait’s growth to accelerate. .”
Although the Henley index is widely cited, other reports – including last year’s report Global Citizen Solutions’ Global Passport Index — named the US passport “the most powerful in the world”, based on investment, quality of life, and enhanced mobility metrics in 2022.
While passport ratings can vary based on reports, visa-free travel is a key marker commonly used in passport ratings to determine how easy it is for a passport holder to to other countries.
Related: The most powerful passport of 2022
