A good passport means less visa hassles, so which country has the best passport?
The competition for first place in the 2023 global passport rankings has experienced some major shakeup.
Japan had held the prestigious position at the top of the Henley Passport Index for an impressive five years. However, another country has now seized the coveted spot.
The Henley Passport Index evaluates the degree of global travel freedom by gauging the ease with which people of different nationalities can travel without visas or acquire visas upon arrival.
Based on information from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Henley Passport Index assigns rankings to 199 passports worldwide as and when changes to the visa rules are made, they are updated in real-time throughout the year.
Singapore has the best passport
However, Singapore, whose citizens can travel to 193 of the world’s 227 locations without a visa, has displaced Japan as the leader for the summer of 2023.
The index showcases a remarkable comeback by Europe in the global rankings, traditionally dominated by Asia. Germany, Italy, and Spain have all risen to the No. 2 spot, offering visa-free travel to an impressive 190 countries. Joining forces at No. 3, Japan, South Korea, Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, and Sweden now share the same remarkable global reach. Citizens of those seven countries can travel visa-free to 189 other countries.
The US and UK have been declining in ranking
Since the days when they shared the top rank in 2014, both the US and the UK have been on a declining trend, but the UK at least seems to be making progress. It has quickly climbed two positions to land at No. 4 in the ranking, a spot it hasn’t been in since 2017. With access to only 183 sites without a visa, the US has fallen another two spots to eighth rank.
The Middle East and Africa have the worst-performing passports
The gap in travel freedom between the top and bottom of the rating is bigger than ever. Afghanistan’s citizens can only travel to 27 countries without a visa, which is fewer than Iraq (29 countries) and Syria (30 countries). The most improved passport is the UAE’s, which has added 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013.
In Africa, South Africa has the best passport, allowing them to visit 106 countries. Followed by Botswana, allowing their citizens to visit 89 countries; Papua Guinea, 83 countries; Namibia, 81 countries; Kenya, 76 countries; Malawi, 75: Tunisia, 71. Meanwhile, Nigeria allows their citizen to visit a meagre 46 countries.
