Henley Passport Index 2023: How European countries rank on world’s most powerful passport list

For the first time in five years, Japan has been knocked off the top spot for the most powerful passport in the world. The latest Henley Passport Index 2023 rankings have Singapore in first place, with its citizens enjoying visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227.

The index is updated quarterly and has been running for 18 years. It is based on the number of travel destinations a person can access without a visa. With Japan slipping to the third spot, Germany, Italy and Spain tie in the second place, offering visa-free access to 190 countries.

Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residence advisory firm, uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to release the rankings. Countries score one point for every destination their passport holders can enter visa-free.

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Travel Freedom Getting Stronger, But So Is Inequality

The rankings consider visa on arrival, visitor’s permit and even electronic travel authority (ETA). No points are awarded when a passport holder needs a visa or e-visa to enter the destination. Read on to find out how well different passports performed this time.

Japan held the top spot at the beginning of 2023, offering its passport holders visa-free access to 193 countries. But the access has now dropped to 189 destinations. Over the past 10 years, Singaporeans have gained visa-free access to an extra 25 countries, pushing its passport to the top.

2. Germany, Italy, Spain

3. Japan, Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden

4. Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, the UK

5. Belgium, Czechia, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, Norway

6. Australia, Poland, Hungary

7. Greece, Canada

8. Lithuania, USA

9. Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia

10. Iceland, Estonia

Meanwhile, the passport of Afghanistan remains the weakest in the world, offering visa-free access to just 27 travel destinations. Countries with the least powerful passports include Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, North Korea, Palestine, Kosovo and Sri Lanka.

Nevertheless, it appears travel freedom has got stronger over the years. Compared to just 58 in 2006, the average number of countries passport holders can now access visa-free has nearly doubled to 109. But the gap between the most and least powerful passports is evidently widening.