For the third consecutive year, Japan has the world’s most powerful ‘passport, which offers visa-free access to more countries (191) than any other country, according to the latest Henley & Partners Passport Index rankings.
However, the report did not take into account current coronavirus travel restrictions.
Analysts have also observed a shift towards countries in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in recent years, which are now ‘firmly established’ in the first place: Singapore took second place in the report (190 countries) achieved; South Korea took third place (189 countries) and New Zealand and Australia were 7th and 8th respectively (185 and 184 respectively).
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It should be noted that several countries can share rankings. South Korea and Germany, for example, are ranked No. 3 in the latest index. And four countries’ passports – from Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain – all share the number 4 spot.
The US, meanwhile, shares the No. 7 spot with Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium and New Zealand, each granting visa-free access to 184 countries.
According to the latest report on the passport index of Henley & Partners, Japan once again has the world’s most powerful “passport for the third year in a row.
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But, as noted by dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, does not mean that American citizens – or citizens of any country with COVID travel restrictions – can currently visit so many other countries.
“In the last seven years, the US passport has fallen from first place to 7th place, a position it currently shares with the UK. Due to pandemic – related travel restrictions, travelers from both countries are currently facing major restrictions from more “105 countries face up, with US passport holders able to travel to less than 75 destinations, while British 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 a probably more accurate look at the current “mobility score” of the world’s passports, with New Zealand’s first place (with access to 129 countries at the time) and the US’s 21st (with access to 92 countries). At the moment, even the numbers have shifted, with Germany now taking first place with a “mobility point” of 134, and the United States in 19th place with a score of 103.