A trio of Asian passports offer their holders more global travel freedom than those of any other country, according to a new quarterly report from London-based global citizenship and residence consultancy Henley & Partners.
Japanese citizens enjoy visa-free or visa-on-demand access to a record 193 destinations around the world, just ahead of Singapore and South Korea, 192 of which citizens can freely visit.
And with Asia-Pacific opening up post-Covid, citizens are more likely to use that travel freedom again.
Global travel is now at about 75% of its pre-pandemic level, according to the latest release of Henley Passport Index, which is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Among the Asian top three, a plethora of European countries top the rankings. Germany and Spain are tied at 190 destinations, followed by Finland, Italy and Luxembourg at 189.
Then there are Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden who are all tied for fifth place, while France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom are tied for number 6.
New Zealand and the United States appear at number 7, alongside Belgium, Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Afghan nationals are again at the bottom of the index, having access to only 27 countries without the need for a visa in advance.
Other indexes
Henley & Partner’s list is one of several indexes created by financial firms to rank global passports based on the access they provide to their citizens.
The Henley Passport Index ranks 199 passports by the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. It is updated in real time throughout the year as soon as changes to the visa policy come into effect.
Arton Capital’s Passport Index considers the passports of 193 United Nations member states and six territories: ROC Taiwan, Macau (China SAR), Hong Kong (China SAR), Kosovo, Palestinian Territory, and Vatican. Territories annexed to other countries are excluded.
It is also updated in real time throughout the year, but the data is collected by closely monitoring the portals of individual governments. It’s a tool “for people who travel, to provide accurate, easily accessible information for their travel needs,” Arton Capital founder Armand Arton told reporters in December.
Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2023 ranks the United Arab Emirates first, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 181.
Second place is taken by 11 countries, most of them in Europe: Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and South Korea.
The United States and the UK rank at number 3, alongside Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Poland, Ireland and New Zealand.
The best passports to hold in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index
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, United States, Czech Republic (186 destinations)
8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)
9. Hungary, Poland (184 destinations)
10. Lithuania, Slovakia (183 destinations)
The worst passports in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index
Several countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 40 or fewer countries. These include:
102. North Korea (40 destinations)
103. Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations)
104. Somalia (35 destinations)
105. Yemen (34 destinations)
106. Pakistan (32 destinations)
107. Syria (30 destinations)
108. Iraq (29 destinations)
109. Afghanistan (27 destinations)
