For the third consecutive year, Japan has the most “powerful” passport in the world, which allows visa-free access to more countries (191) than any other, according to the latest ranking by the Henley & Partners Passport Index.
The report, however, did not take into account the current travel restrictions induced by the coronavirus.
Analysts have also noted a shift in recent years towards countries in the Asia Pacific region (APAC), which are now “firmly established” in the top positions: Singapore came in second in the report (190 countries); South Korea ranked third (189 countries) and New Zealand and Australia ranked 7th and 8th (185 and 184, respectively).
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It should be noted that several countries can share classifications. For example, South Korea and Germany occupy the third position in the most recent index. And passports from four countries – Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain – share fourth place.
The USA, for its part, shares seventh place with Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium and New Zealand, each of which granting visa-free access to 184 countries.
For the third consecutive year, Japan once again has the most “powerful” passport in the world, according to the latest report from the Henley & Partners Passport Index.
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But, as noted by Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, president of Henley & Partners, this does not mean that US citizens – or citizens of any country with COVID travel restrictions – can currently visit so many other nations.
“In the past seven years, the US passport has fallen from first place to seventh, a position it currently shares with the UK. Due to travel restrictions related to the pandemic, travelers from both countries currently face major restrictions on more from 105 countries, with U.S. passport holders being able to travel to less than 75 destinations, while UK passport holders currently have access to less than 70, “Kaelin said in a press release.
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Meanwhile, in October 2020, global financial advisory firm Arton Capital released an arguably more accurate analysis of the current “mobility score” of the world’s passports, with New Zealand ranking first (with access to 129 countries at the time) ) and the USA in 21st (with access to 92 countries). At the moment, even those numbers have changed, with Germany now in first place, with a “mobility score” of 134, and the United States in 19th place, with a score of 103.