With countries around the world opening their borders as the threat of COVID-19 subsides, global travel has reached 75 percent of the pre-pandemic level. As the travel bug bites, the Henley Passport Index has released its quarterly list of the most powerful passports.
The Henley Passport Index is the original and authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the largest and most accurate database of travel information.
This time, Asian countries have dominated the top of the list. We’ll see:
1) Japan
For the fifth year in a row, the Japanese passport has been crowned the world’s most powerful passport with holders gaining visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 countries.
(Photography:AFP)
2) Singapore, South Korea
Another Asian country ranked second in the table. A Singaporean passport allowed the holder visa-free access to 192 countries around the world. Along with Singapore, South Korea also ranked second.
(Photography:Others)
3) Germany, Spain
Germany and Spain came in third as passport holders from the two countries managed to get away with it in 190 countries.
(Photography:Reuters)
4) Italy, Luxembourg and Finland
The European countries of Italy, Finland and Luxembourg ranked fourth on the list with passport holders enjoying visa-free access to 189 countries.
(Photography:AFP)
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5) Sweden, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands
Sweden ranked fifth in the passport index along with Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands. The passport of these countries allowed visa-free access to 188 destinations.
(Photography:AFP)
6) France, Portugal, Ireland and the United Kingdom
France was fifth in the passport index at the start of 2022. The country has moved down one place, joining Ireland, France and the United Kingdom. Despite the drop in ranking, the passport allows holders to travel visa-free to 187 countries.
(Photography:AFP)
7) USA, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Czech Republic
The United States ranks seventh on the list along with Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand, and the Czech Republic. Passport holders from these countries have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 186 destinations.
(Photography:Zee News Network)
8) Australia, Greece, Canada and Malta
Australia, Greece, Canada and Malta are the joint holders in eighth place. Passport holders from these countries have access to 185 destinations, according to the Passport Index.
(Photography:Reuters)
9) Hungary, Poland
In the penultimate place of the top 10 list are Hungary and Poland. Citizens of the two countries have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 184 destinations. (Hungarian parliament shown)
(Photography:Others)
10) Lithuania and Slovakia
Last but not least, with visa-free access to 183 destinations, Lithuania and Slovakia collectively rank tenth on the list of the most powerful passports in the world.
