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According to the Henley Passport Index, Singapore now holds the title of the world’s most powerful passport, granting visa-free access to 192 out of 227 global travel destinations. Three European countries, namely Germany, Italy, and Spain, have moved up one rank to share the second position, with visa-free access to 190 destinations. For the first time in five years, Japan has been dethroned from the top spot and now ranks third, with its passport providing visa-free access to 189 destinations.

Overview of the Henley Passport Index

• The United States, formerly the top-ranked country almost a decade ago, has now slipped to the eighth position in the Henley Passport Index. It shares this position with Lithuania, with both countries offering visa-free access to 184 destinations.
• On the other hand, the United Kingdom has made significant progress, jumping two places to claim the fourth spot in the index. British passport holders can now access 188 countries without a visa, a position they last held in 2017.
• At the opposite end of the spectrum, Afghanistan holds the lowest rank in the ranking, with its passport holders having visa-free access to only 27 destinations. Just above Afghanistan are Iraq with a score of 29 and Syria with 30, making them the three weakest passports in the world.
• The influx of migrants into Singapore, driven by a crackdown on private enterprise in China and concerns over geopolitical tensions, has resulted in increased citizenship grants in the nation. Approximately 23,100 people were granted Singaporean citizenship last year.

Passports of these countries hold the top 10 spots on the Henley Index:

Rank Country                                                        Visa-free travel to (out of 277 nations)

1         Singapore                                                         192

2         Germany, Italy, Spain                                         190

3         Austria, Finland, France, Japan, South Korea, 

                Luxembourg, Sweden                                         189

4         Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, UK                 188

5         Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, 

                Norway, Portugal, Switzerland                         187

6         Australia, Hungary, Poland                                 186

7         Canada, Greece                                                 185

8         Lithuania, US                                                         184

9         Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia                                 183

10         Estonia, Iceland                                                 182

Passports of these countries hold the bottom 10 spots on the Henley Index:

Rank                Country                                 Visa-free travel to (out of 277 nations)

103                 Afghanistan                         27

102                 Iraq                                         29

101                 Syria                                 30

100                 Pakistan                                 33

99                 Yemen, Somalia                 35

98                 Palestinian territory, Nepal 38

97                 North Korea                         39

96                 Bangladesh                         40

95                 Sri Lanka, Libya                 41

94                 Kosovo                                 42

About the Henley Passport Index

Invented nearly 20 years ago by Dr Christian H Kaelin, Chairman, Henley & Partners, the index is based on the exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It is the original ranking of all the passports according to the number of destinations their holders can visit without a prior visa. It’s worth noting that the Henley Passport Index relies on data from the International Air Transport Association to calculate its rankings. The methodology used by this index differs from other passport rankings, such as the one published by financial advisory Arton Capital, which placed the United Arab Emirates in the top position last year.

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