According to a recent quarterly report from London-based global citizenship and residence advice business Henley & Partners, three Asian passports grant their holders more freedom to travel internationally than those from any other nations.
Just ahead of Singapore and South Korea, whose citizens can travel freely to 192 places, Japanese citizens have visa-free or visa-on-demand access to a record 193 places worldwide.
A greater likelihood exists that its inhabitants will once again take advantage of this freedom to travel when Asia-Pacific opens up following the Covid agreement.
According to the most recent report from Henley Passport Index, which is based on information from the International Air Transport Association, international travel is currently at a level that is almost 75% higher than it was before the epidemic (IATA).
A large number of European nations are grouped together around the top of the leaderboard behind the top three Asian nations. Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg are next on 189, followed by Germany and Spain who are tied on 190 destinations.
Following that, in a tie for fifth place, are Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden. France, Ireland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom are ranked sixth and seventh, respectively.
At No. 7, along with Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and New Zealand, are the United States and New Zealand. Once again at the bottom of the list, Afghan people can enter just 27 nations without a prior visa.
A different index
A number of indices have been developed by financial companies to rate international passports in accordance with the access they grant to their citizens, including Henley & Partner’s list.
According to the number of locations their holders can visit without a previous visa, 199 passports are ranked by the Henley Passport Index. All year long, as new visa policy changes are implemented, it is updated in real time.
The ROC Taiwan, Macau (SAR China), Hong Kong (SAR China), Kosovo, Palestinian Territory, and the Vatican are six territories that are included in Arton Capital’s Passport Index, which analyzes the passports of 193 United Nations members. Excluded are areas that have been annexed by other nations.
It is likewise continuously updated in real time, however the data is acquired by closely watching the websites of many national governments. It’s a platform “for people who travel, to deliver reliable, straightforward information for their travel needs,” Arton Capital founder Armand Arton told CNN in December.
The United Arab Emirates is ranked first in Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2023 with a score of 181 for visa-free travel and visa on arrival.
Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and South Korea are among the 11 nations that are tied for second position, the majority of which are in Europe.
Along with Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Poland, Ireland, and New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom are ranked third overall.
The Henley Passport Index has determined which passports are the best to own in 2023.
1. Japan (193 destinations)
Singapore, South Korea, and (192 destinations)
3. Spain, Germany (190 destinations)
4. Luxembourg, Finland, and Italy (189 destinations)
5. Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, and (188 destinations)
6. The United Kingdom, France, Ireland, and Portugal (187 destinations)
7. Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland (186 destinations)
8. Malta, Greece, Canada, Australia (185 destinations)
10. Hungary and Poland (184 destinations)
Slovakia and Lithuania, 10 (183 destinations)
The worst passports to own in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index
Visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to 40 or fewer countries is available to several nations worldwide. A few of these include
A. North Korea (40 destinations)
Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations)
A. Somalia (35 destinations)
105. Yemen (34 destinations)
A 106. Pakistan (32 destinations)
107. Syria (30 destinations)
108. Iraq (29 destinations) (29 destinations)
109. Afghanistan (27 destinations)
