The World’s most powerful passport for 2023 has been revealed

According to the latest quarterly report released by Henley & Partners, three Asian passports provide their holders better global freedom than those of any other country.

Japanese citizens can enjoy visa-free or visa-on-demand access to 193 destinations worldwide. This is followed by Singapore and South Korea, whose citizens can visit 192.

Now that Asia-Pacific is opening up after Covid, the citizens of these countries are more likely to use travel freedom again.

Global travel is now about 75% of the pre-pandemic levels, according to the newest release by Passport Index, based on data from IATA, the International Air Transport Association.

After the Asian top three, a few European countries are placed near the top of the leaderboard. Germany and Spain are tied to 190 destinations, followed by Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg at 189.

Then there is Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden, all in fifth place, while France, Ireland, Portugal, and the UK are at No. 6.

New Zealand and the United States are at No. 7, with Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.

Afghan nationals come towards the end of the index and can access just 27 countries without requiring a visa in advance.

Other Indexes

Henley & Partner’s list is one of the many indexes that have been generated by financial firms to position global passports according to the access they provide to their citizens.

The list ranks around 199 passports based on the number of destinations their holders can go to without a prior visa. It is updated in real-time throughout the year, as and when the visa policy changes come into effect.

Arton Capital’s Passport Index considers the passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories- ROC Taiwan, Kosovo, Macau (SAR China), Hong Kong (SAR China), Palestinian Territory, and the Vatican.

It is also updated in real-time throughout the year, but the data is collected by the close monitoring of individual governments’ portals. It is a tool for people who travel to provide accurate, simple-to-access information for their travel needs.

Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2023 positions the UAE in the top, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 181.

The second place is held by 11 countries, many of which are in Europe: Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg, Finland, France, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and South Korea.

The United States and the UK are at No. 3, with Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Poland, New Zealand, and Ireland.

The best passports to hold in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index, are:

1. Japan (193 destinations)
2. Singapore, South Korea (192 destinations)
3. Germany, Spain (190 destinations)
4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189 destinations)
5. Austria, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden (188 destinations)
6. Ireland, France, The UK, and Portugal (187 destinations)
7. Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland, United States, Norway, and Czech Republic (186 destinations)
8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)
9. Hungary, Poland (184 destinations)
10. Lithuania, Slovakia (183 destinations)

The worst passports to hold in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index, are:

Many countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 40 or fewer countries. These include:

102. North Korea (40 destinations)
103. Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations)
104. Somalia (35 destinations)
105. Yemen (34 destinations)
106. Pakistan (32 destinations)
107. Syria (30 destinations)
108. Iraq (29 destinations)
109. Afghanistan (27 destinations)