Global Citizenship and Residency Consultancy Henley & Partners has released its third quarter report on the top 10 most desirable passports in the world.
Japan has overtaken Singapore and South Korea as its citizens get visa-free access to 193 destinations around the world. Residents of the following two countries are visa-exempt in 192 destinations.
However, due to Asia’s cautious response to the outbreak, Asian citizens are less likely to exercise their freedom of movement than European or American tourists.
According to the latest statistics from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), international passenger demand for air travel in the Asia-Pacific region is still less than a fifth of its pre-Covid-19 level.
By comparison, CNN points to the Henley Passport Index report showing that the European and North American markets have recovered to about 60% of where they had moved before.
Japanese passport comes first, citizens do not need to apply for a visa when visiting 193 countries. Photo: Scribd.
Among the top three Asian countries, many European countries rank highly. German and Spanish passports can go to 190 visa-free destinations, followed by Finland, Italy and Luxembourg with 189 destinations.
Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden are in 5th place. France, Ireland, Portugal and the UK are in 6th place.
New Zealand and the United States are in seventh place, along with Belgium, Norway and Switzerland.
The report also says Indian passport holders enjoy similar freedom of movement before the pandemic, with the freedom to visit 57 destinations around the world (compared to 23 in 2020).
Citizens of Afghanistan are again at the bottom of the ranking. The passport of this country allows entry to 27 countries without a visa.
10 world power passports:
1. Japan (193 destinations)
2. Singapore, South Korea (192 destinations)
3. Germany, Spain (190 destinations)
4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189 destinations)
5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden (188 destinations)
6. France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom (187 destinations)
7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, USA (186 destinations)
8. Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)
9. Hungary (183 destinations)
10. Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia (182 destinations)
The least powerful passport in the world:
105. North Korea (40 destinations)
106. Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations)
107. Somalia (35 destinations)
108. Yemen (34 destinations)
109. Pakistan (32 destinations)
110. Syria (30 destinations)
111. Iraq (29 destinations)
112. Afghanistan (27 destinations)
@ Sing News
