While travel may not be on the books just yet, we can all hold on to a little thing called hope.
Helping the process is the Henley Passport Index, the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa, which has released the 2021 list of world’s most powerful passports.
It bases its result on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information, enhanced by ongoing research by the Henley & Partners Research Department.
Asian citizens hold the world’s most powerful travel documents it seems, with Japan topping the list for offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry to 191 destinations.
Singapore comes in a close second with 190 destinations while South Korea ties with Germany at third place with 189.
New Zealand and Austria account for fourth and fifth place with 185 and 184 destinations respectively.
This new Asia Pacific dominance arose only in recent years, taking over the top spots that were usually resided by the United States, the United Kingdom and European Union countries.
The index does not take into account temporary restrictions currently implemented due to Covid-19.
Here is the list of the top 10 most powerful passports in 2021.
- Japan (191 destinations)
- Singapore (190)
- South Korea, Germany (189)
- Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg (188)
- Denmark, Austria (187)
- Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland (186)
- Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand (185)
- Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, Australia (184)
- Canada (183)
- Hungary (181)
On the other end, here are also the 10 weakest passports:
- North Korea (39 destinations)
- Libya, Nepal (38)
- Palestinian territories (37)
- Somalia, Yemen (33)
- Pakistan (32)
- Syria (29)
- Iraq (28)
- Afghanistan (26)
(Source: Henley Passport Index)
