Report Reveals the World’s Most Powerful Passports

The Henley Passport Index has released 2019’s list of the world’s most powerful passports. Henley & Partners, a London-based residence and global citizenship advisory firm, compiles the list and reveals it annually. It gathers data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which holds the largest database of travel information in the world. This year, the firm ranked 227 countries and territories, taking into account the number of destinations their citizens can visit even without obtaining a visa. Singapore and Japan are both at the top spot, with their passports granting visa-free access to 189 destinations. The two countries have held this position for 18 months after unseating Germany in early 2018. Finland, Germany, and South Korea hold the second spot, allowing their passport holders to visit 187 places without a visa. Denmark, Italy, and Luxembourg round out the third spot. The United Kingdom and the United States used to share the top spot in 2014 but have plummeted to sixth place, with both having a score of 183. This is the lowest rank that both have held since 2010. At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan, whose passport allows its citizens visa-free access to only 25 countries. Henley & Partners Chairman Dr. Christian H. Kaelin believes that the list shows that many countries recognize the importance of granting foreigners visa-free access to a country. He explained that welcoming foreigners can greatly contribute to a country’s social and economic development and is beneficial to all countries in the world.