Japan Drops To 3rd Rank On World Passport Ranking
The Henly Passport Index, which ranks counties based on their passport strength, has released its updated list for 2023. Their list is created after considering the official data from International Air Transport Association.
For the first time in the past five decades, Japan has lost its top spot, falling third in the rankings. Singapore has now claimed to have the most secure passport in the world per the recent rankings. Citizens of Singapore can now get visa-free entry to 192 of 227 locations.
Singapore is one of many countries that have gained positions on the list due to Japan’s decline. With Japan being ranked third, three European countries have moved to second: Germany, Italy, and Spain, all of which have the option of visa-free travel to 190 countries.
Japan shares its third spot with six other countries. They are France, Austria, Finland, Sweden, South Korea, and Luxembourg. Citizens carrying passports from these countries can travel to 189 countries visa-free.
Surprisingly, the U.K. has come around and is climbing back to the Henley rankings after several years of decline. It is currently in 4th place with 188 visa-free countries. This is the most impressive it’s seen since 2017.
It is the U.S., however, has seen an unending decline and is continuing its downward slide on the index, with this year’s ranking at eighth, with 184 visa-free places similar to Lithuania.
Remember that just ten years ago, it was a time when the U.S. and U.K. had a good time in the top spot in the Henley Index, it shows how much geopolitical shifts have had on world affairs.
Last is Afghanistan, where passport holders can visit 27 countries without visas. Above Afghanistan are Iraq and Syria, which round out the top three weakest passports globally.
If we look at the trends over the past 18 years, it appears that the amount of places accessible without visas has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 the number of 109 by 2023. However, the travel gap between the top and bottom-ranked nations has gotten bigger than before – Singapore passport holders can visit the world’s most popular destinations with 166 fewer visas than citizens with the Afghanistan passport.
The UAE has gotten 107 visa-free locations and has moved 44 positions higher on the list. Singapore has increased the number by 25, which has helped it climb to the top of the list.
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