Japan, Singapore and South Korea lead world’s passport power
Japan, Singapore and South Korea have confirmed Asia’s leadership in the world’s passport power, topping the latest list compiled by the Swiss consulting company Henley & Partners.
According to the Henley Passport Index at the beginning of the third quarter of 2019, Japan and Singapore held the top spot as their citizens can visit 189 countries without prior visas. They are followed by South Korea, Finland and Germany whose citizens can visit 187 countries visa-free or with visa-on-arrival. Malaysia is the next Asian country, ranking 13th with a score of 176. Hong Kong is 19th with 168 and the United Arab Emirates, the top Middle Eastern country, is 20th with 167.
However, Asian countries are also at the bottom of the list. Afghanistan is last with a passport power score of only 25 countries, preceded by Iraq with 27, Syria with 29 and Pakistan with 30, according to the Henley Passport Index. The United Arab Emirates was the biggest climber over the last ten years, moving up 41 places, from 61 on the list in 2009 to 20 in 2019. The UAE is followed by Albania (from 76 to 52), Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) from 54 60 30, Bosnia and Herzegovina (from 72 to 51) Serbia (from 62 to 41) Timor-Leste (from 75 to 56) and Colombia (from 64 to 45). At the other end of the spectrum, Nigeria lost 31 places, moving down the list from 67 in 2009 to 98 in 2019. It was followed by Sierra Leone (from 53 to 82), Bangladesh (from 73 to 101), Syria (from 82 to 107), Mali (from 65 to 90), Niger (from 65 to 90) and Senegal (from 64 to 89).
Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, including micro-states and territories. The company said on its website that for each travel destination, if no visa is required for passport holders, a score of 1 is created for that passport. This also applies if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) upon entry. These visa types require no pre-departure government approval.
Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder must obtain a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) before departure, a score of 0 is assigned. The same applies if they need pre-departure approval for a visa on arrival. Each passport is scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free. The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information and enhanced by continuous research by the Henley & Partners Research Department, the company said.
Henley Passport Index (July 2019):
1 Japan, Singapore 189
2 Finland, Germany, South Korea 187
3 Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg 186
4 France, Spain, Sweden 185
5 Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland 184
6 Belgium, Canada, Greece, Ireland, Norway, United Kingdom, United States 183
7 Malta 182
8 Czech Republic 181
9 Australia, Iceland, Lithuania, New Zealand 180
10 Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia 179
11 Estonia, Hungary 178
12 Liechtenstein 177
13 Malaysia 176
14 Chile 174
15 Monaco 173
16 Cyprus, Poland 172
17 Argentina 170
18 Brazil, Romania 169
19 Bulgaria, Hong Kong (SAR China) 168
20 Croatia, San Marino, United Arab Emirates 167
21 Andorra 166
22 Brunei 164
23 Barbados, Israel 158
24 Mexico 157
25 Bahamas, Uruguay 153
26 St. Kitts and Nevis 152
27 Costa Rica, Seychelles 150
28 Vatican City 148
29 Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago 147
30 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) 146
31 Mauritius 145
32 St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 144
33 Paraguay 143
34 Grenada 141
35 Panama 140
36 Macao (SAR China) 139
37 Dominica, El Salvador, Honduras 135
38 Venezuela 134
39 Guatemala 133
40 Peru 132
41 Serbia 131
42 Samoa 130
43 Solomon Islands, Vanuatu 129
44 Nicaragua, Tuvalu, Ukraine 126
45 Colombia 124
46 North Macedonia, Tonga 123
47 Marshall Islands, Montenegro 122
48 Kiribati 121
49 Micronesia, Moldova 119
50 Palau Islands 118
51 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russian Federation 116
52 Albania, Georgia 113
53 Turkey 110
54 South Africa 99
55 Belize 98
56 Timor-Leste 94
57 Kuwait 91
58 Ecuador 90
59 Fiji 87
60 Guyana, Qatar 86
61 Nauru 85
62 Maldives 84
63 Jamaica 83
64 Botswana, Papua New Guinea 82
65 Bahrain 80
66 Suriname 78
67 Bolivia, Oman 77
68 Namibia 76
69 Belarus, Kazakhstan 75
70 Thailand 74
71 Lesotho 73
72 eSwatini, Saudi Arabia 72
73 Malawi 71
74 China Kenya 70
75 Indonesia, Zambia 69
76 Gambia, Tanzania 68
77 Tunisia 67
78 Azerbaijan 66
79 Cape Verde Islands, Uganda 65
80 Ghana, Philippines, Zimbabwe 64
81 Cuba, Dominican Republic 63
82 Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Sierra Leone 62
83 Benin, Morocco 61
84 Armenia 60
85 Mozambique 59
86 India, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe 58
87 Burkina Faso, Tajikistan 57
88 Cote d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan 56
89 Gabon, Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo 55
90 Mali, Niger 54
91 Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar 53
92 Bhutan, Chad, Comoros Islands 52
93 Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea, Turkmenistan 51
94 Algeria, Central African Republic 50
95 Angola, Egypt, Haiti, Jordan, Laos, Vietnam 49
96 Burundi, Cameroon, Congo (Rep.), Liberia 47
97 Myanmar 46
98 Djibouti, Nigeria 45
99 Congo (Dem. Rep.), Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka 42
100 Kosovo 41
101 Bangladesh, Eritrea, Iran, Lebanon, North Korea 39
102 Nepal 38
103 Libya, Palestinian Territory, Sudan 37
104 Yemen 33
105 Somalia 31
106 Pakistan 30
107 Syria 29
108 Iraq 27
109 Afghanistan 25
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