Singapore has ranked atop the global passport rankings for 2023, displacing Japan from the No.1 position in the Henley Passport Index to third place.
The rankings
The Henley Passport Index is the authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
It compares the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations.
Top countries
Singapore citizens are able to visit 193 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free, making it the most powerful passport in the world.
Germany, Italy and Spain have all jumped up to second place with visa-free access to 190 destinations.
Japan and South Korea are tied at No.3, joined by Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg and Sweden.
Citizens from these nations enjoy access to 189 destinations without needing a prior visa.
US and UK
Both these countries have been slipping in rankings since when they jointly held the No.1 spot way back in 2014.
The UK’s position has improved, jumping two-rankings to No.4.
The US, meanwhile, has dropped two places to eighth spot, with access to 183 destinations visa-free.
Top 10
1. Singapore (192 destinations)
2. Germany, Italy, Spain (190 destinations)
3. Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden (189)
4. Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, UK (188 destinations)
5. Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland (187 destinations)
6. Australia, Hungary, Poland (186 destinations)
7. Canada, Greece (185 destinations)
8. Lithuania, United States (184 destinations)
9. Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (183 destinations)
10. Estonia, Iceland (182 destinations)
Bottom 10
101. Syria (30 destinations)
102. Iraq (29 destinations)
103. Afghanistan (27 destinations)
These are the only three to have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 30 or fewer countries.
Observations
Over the history of the 18-year-old ranking, the average number of destinations travelers are able access visa-free has nearly doubled, from 58 in 2006 to 109.
However, the travel freedom gap between those at the top and the bottom has been the widest thus far.
Citizens of Afghanistan are only able to visit 27 destinations without a prior visa, just below Iraq (with 29 destinations) and Syria (with 30).
Over the past decade, top performer Singapore has gained visa-free access to 25 new destinations.
On the other hand, the US has seen the smallest increase in its score, securing just 12 additional destinations.
