Asia nations lead in most powerful passport rankings
Singapore leads the way with the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 193 destinations out of 227 globally, according to the latest Henley Passport Index .
It shows the continued rise in strength of Asian nations for global mobility.
The index is powered by Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ranks all the world’s passports based on the number of destinations their holders can enter without a prior visa.
Asian nations continue to lead the global mobility race, with Japan and South Korea sharing 2nd place, each granting their citizens access to 190 destinations visa-free.
A strong European contingent occupies the rest of the Top 5. Seven EU passports share 3rd place — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain, all with access to 189 destinations.
Another seven-nation European cohort, with visa-free entry to 188 destinations, are joint 4th — Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden — while New Zealand, the only nation to challenge the regional dominance, ties in 5th place with Greece and Switzerland.
At the other end of the global mobility spectrum, Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the ranking, with its citizens able to access just 25 destinations without a prior visa.
The UK and US have each dropped a place in the global passport rankings since January, continuing a long-term downward trend.
Once the most powerful passports in the world — the UK in 2015 and the US in 2014 — they now rank 6th and 10th, respectively.
The UK currently has visa-free access to 186 destinations, while the US trails with 182. Notably, the US is now on the brink of exiting the Top 10 altogether for the first time in the index’s 20-year history.
Dr. Christian H. Kaelin creator of the passport index concept, says: “traditional mobility champions are losing ground in an increasingly multi-polar world. As emerging economies liberalise their visa regimes and invest in diplomatic capital, legacy powers like the UK and the US appear to be retreating behind more restrictive entry policies.”
The UAE continues to be a standout among the top risers, shooting up 34 places over the last 10 years from 42nd to 8th place.
Another notable winner is China, also rising 34 places from 94th to 60th since 2015 — this is impressive as, unlike other top risers, China has not yet gained visa-free access to Europe’s Schengen Area.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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