The Most Powerful Passports in the World

5 Minutes Read

• The Henley Passport Index (HPI), compiled by Henley & Partners, ranks the strongest passports for travel freedom based on how many countries they can access by passport alone. 

• According to the HPI ranking's data from Q3 2021, the Japanese passport is the strongest. Singapore and South Korea, took second and third place, respectively. The rest of the top 25 mostly comprises European nations, but those top three indicate a recent shift away from European (and American) dominance of the index. 

 The 2021 Henley Passport Index 

Not all passports are created equal. The world's strongest passports allow their holders access to more countries without extra requirements—like added visas—therefore giving them more travel freedom.

While the coronavirus pandemic has prompted government officials to close many borders to international guests in the past year, you won’t see those changes reflected in the latest index—the Henley researchers have omitted temporary travel limitations from their analysis. What you will see is Japan defending its first place title, which the nation has now earned for three years in a row. If you happen to have a Japanese passport, 191 countries are happy to have you visit (again, pandemic notwithstanding). Japan’s Asia-Pacific neighbors, Singapore and South Korea, took second and third place, respectively.

The rest of the top 25 mostly comprises European nations, but those top three indicate a recent shift away from European (and American) dominance of the index. According to a press release, the most powerful passports used to usually belong to residents of the U.S., the UK, or Europe. This year, the U.S. and the UK are tied in seventh place with Switzerland, Norway, Belgium, and New Zealand. U.S. passports are accepted in 185 countries. That said, planning a trip during the pandemic is definitely ill-advised.

 Top of the list 

 The full list 

Source: Henley Global

https://www.henleyglobal.com/

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