For the first time in five years, Japan has been knocked off its position of being a country with the world’s most powerful passport. The country with a passport that can grant visa-free access to the most number of places in the world is Singapore!
The Southeast Asian country is now #1 on the Henley Passport Index recently with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227 around the world. Singapore was previously tied with South Korea for the second place.
“Far more than just a travel document that defines our freedom of movement, a strong passport also provides significant financial freedoms in terms of international investment and business opportunities,” Christian H. Kaelin, the chairman of Henley & Partners, said in a statement, “Global connectivity and access have become indispensable features of wealth creation and preservation, and its value will only grow as geopolitical volatility and regional instability increase.”
European countries Germany, Italy, and Spain occupied the #2 spot with access to 190 countries. Japan, which had held the top spot on the list moved down to #3 with access to 189 destinations. It has tied with Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden. The United Kingdom is at #4 along with Ireland and Netherland, and the United States of America is at #8.
Indian passport only grants visa-free access to 57 countries and it occupies #81 on the list, tied with Senegal and Togo.
