Japan Has The World's Most Powerful Passport

Japan has the world's most powerful passport, according to new global ranking.

Japan has held the top spot for the past four years in a row, with Japanese passport holders able to visit 191 countries without needing a visa.

Singapore came in second place, with visa-free access to 190 countries.

While Germany and South Korea came in joint third, on 189 countries, according to the rankings from Henley Passport Index.

For 2021, the UK moved up one place to seventh, where it sits alongside the US, New Zealand, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland.

PA

When pulling together the list, Henley Passport Index uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and looks into how many countries allow visa-free or visa-on-arrival for the passport holder.

This year's data did not include the restrictions in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK isn't the only country to climb a spot this year - Spain and Luxembourg were fifth last year and are now in join fourth place with Finland and Italy on 188 countries.

Austria also moved up on place and is now the fifth most powerful passport, alongside Denmark, with 187 countries.

Just above the UK in sixth place is France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden, on 186.

One place below the UK, on 184 countries, is Australia, Greece, Malta and the Czech Republic.

While Canada is in ninth place and Hungary in tenth, with 183 and 182 countries respectively.

The Henley Passport Index said of its new rankings: "Over the index's 16-year history, the top spots were traditionally held by EU countries, the UK, or the US, and experts suggest that the Apac region's position of strength will continue as it includes some of the first countries to begin the process of recovering from the pandemic.

"Over the past seven years, the US passport has fallen from the number one spot to seventh place, a position it currently shares with the UK.

"Due to pandemic-related travel constraints, travellers from both the UK and the US currently face major restrictions from over 105 countries, with US passport holders able to travel to fewer than 75 destinations, while UK passport holders currently have access to fewer than 70."

At the other end of the table, the world's least powerful passport is Afghanistan with visa-free access to just 26 countries.

Topics: World News, Interesting, UK, World News, Interesting, UK, World News, Interesting, UK

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19