TRAVEL & DESTINATIONS -Updated 1 hour ago

The World's Most Powerful Passports in 2023: Singapore Now Leading Japan

YEET MAGAZINE

Sep 30, 2023 • 3 min read

Singapore leads the way, granting its citizens visa-free access to a remarkable 192 out of 227 destinations.

In January of this year, the Henley Passport Index 2023, compiled by consulting firm Henley & Partners, declared Japan's passport as the world's most powerful for the fifth consecutive year. However, the latest rankings, based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), reveal that Singapore has now claimed the top position, pushing Japan to third place, marking its first decline in five years.

This ranking determines passport power by the number of destinations citizens can visit without needing a visa.

The World's Most Powerful Passports in 2023: Singapore Now Leading Japan

Singapore leads the way, granting its citizens visa-free access to a remarkable 192 out of 227 destinations. Germany, Italy, and Spain share second place with access to 190 countries without a visa.

Japanese passport holders join Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden in third place, allowing entry to 189 countries without a visa. The UK, along with Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands, occupies the fourth position, offering visa-free access to 188 destinations.

The rankings show the UK's rise from sixth place, marking an improvement following a six-year decline.

Notably, the UK, once tied with the United States for the top spot in 2014, has gradually slipped in the rankings over the years.

On the opposite end, the weakest passports belong to countries like Afghanistan, with access to just 27 countries without a visa. Other nations with 'weak' passports include Iraq (29 countries), Syria (30 countries), and Pakistan (33 countries).

The report highlights a global trend of increased travel freedom over the past 18 years, with the average number of visa-free destinations nearly doubling since 2006, from 58 to 109. However, a significant mobility gap remains between the top and bottom countries, with Singaporeans enjoying 165 more destinations than Afghans.

In addition, only eight countries have seen a decrease in visa-free access over the past decade.

The UAE passport has made the most significant power shift, rising 44 places in the rankings over ten years, thanks to adding 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013.

Henley & Partners introduced the Openness Index in 2023, exploring the relationship between a country's openness to foreigners and the travel freedom of its citizens. The "most open" countries tend to be small island nations or African states, with Cambodia as the exception. Twelve fully open countries offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to all 198 passport holders, while four countries grant no visa-free access to any passport.

It's interesting to note that while US passport holders can visit 184 countries without a visa, the United States only allows 44 nationalities to enter its borders without a visa, ranking it 78th in the openness index. This disparity between access and openness in the US is the second largest, surpassed only by Australia and slightly ahead of Canada.

Global travel has recovered to about 75 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and the top-ranking countries are taking advantage of their passports' freedom to explore some of the world's most beautiful destinations.

Here are the top 10 most powerful passports for 2023: