Henley Passport Index 2023: Singapore passport is world’s most powerful, replacing Japan
livemint.comThe updated 2023 Henley Passport Index Tuesday placed Singapore as the world's most powerful passport with visa-free access to 192 travel destinations out of 227 around the world. Three European countries Germany, Italy, and Spain move up one slot with 190 visa-free destinations and shared the second place. Japan has been knocked off the top spot for the first time in five years and slipped to third place as the number of destinations its passport can access without a visa fell to 189.
The US, which once topped the ranking nearly a decade ago, slid two places to eighth place with 184 destinations listed as visa free, the same as Lithuania. The UK jumped two places to fourth position with 188 visa-free countries accessible, a position it last held in 2017. Afghanistan stands at the bottom of the ranking, its passport holders can visit just 27 destinations without a visa.
Just above sit Iraq with a score of 29 and Syria with 30, rounding out the three weakest passports in the world. A crackdown on private enterprise in China and fears over geopolitical tensions has resulted into an influx of migrants into Singapore, a magnet for wealth.
The nation granted citizenship to about 23,100 people last year. Henley’s Passport Index ranking tracks data from the International Air Transport Association.
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