The most powerful passport of the world list is out again. This new list is the 2nd ranking of 2021. Henley & Partners consulting firm has released its quarterly report on the world’s most desired and powerful passport. The new rankings in the system do not change must as compared to the last list. The biggest change is the number of countries allowed through visa-free access. “With extensive travel restrictions still in place globally, any level of international travel freedom remains theoretical,” says Henley & Partners, in a statement.
Japan has once again topped the second listing of the 2021 global Passport index as holders can access visa-free access to 193 locations worldwide. Singapore is at the number 2 position in this race whose holders can travel to 192 destinations around the world without a visa.
Surprisingly, the Asian countries top the list with South Korea, Singapore, and Japan stand together as the world’s three passports in the top 10.
The Henly and partners issue these listings quarterly. The list is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations. The listing does not cover all aspects of the passport’s worth. Only visa-free access is considered to be the factor for rating the countries. The current travel restrictions have not been taken into account as well.
Most powerful passports of the world list
| Ranking | Country Name | Visa-free destinations |
| 1 | Japan | 193 |
| 2 | Singapore | 192 |
| 3 | South Korea, Germany | 191 |
| 4 | Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg | 190 |
| 5 | Denmark, Austria | 189 |
| 6 | Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland | 188 |
| 7 | Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand | 187 |
| 8 | Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, Norway | 186 |
| 9 | Canada, Australia | 185 |
| 10 | Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia | 183 |
As expected, the European countries are all around dint the list. Some very rich Asian countries have also made it to the list. European countries, USA, Canada, and Australia have been top ranking in the listing for a long time now. The UK and the USA have continuously been losing the number one position which they once had back in 2014 jointly. Except for UAE and China, there has been no country that has made a significant increase in the rankings. At the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan (26 visa-free or on arrival access countries) is the least powerful passport a passenger can hold, followed by Iraq (28), Syria (29), Pakistan (32), Somalia (34), Yemen (33), and Palestine Regions (37), Nepal (38) and North Korea (39). The countries in this list have been in the lowest positions for a long time.
The best risers
China and the UAE have made remarkable improvements in their passport rankings. China has up 22 positions since 2011 (from 90 to 68th). The UAE is now at the number 15 and has 174 visa-free destinations access. When the index was launched in 2006, it was ranked 62nd, with only 35 access points of visa-free countries, but now its position has risen dramatically.
The current realities of traveling
Though the countries which are in the list of top 10 have access to up to 193 visa-free countries respectively, the ground realities are something else. The Covid-19 has almost made it impossible to travel to other countries for tourism or normal traveling purposes. Many countries have had traveling restrictions on such as Canada, the UK, the USA, etc. A good example can be the USA whose passports holders can currently travel to less than seventy-five locations due to epidemic restrictions. The current vaccine success has made it possible to think that soon the situation will start to get better and better and more countries will open their borders for traveling and tourism purposes. Some predict however that vaccine availability will only mostly benefit the wealthier nations and the developing ones will have to wait long till their nationals are vaccinated whole.
List of worst passport countries
| Ranking | Name of Countries | Visa-free Countries |
| 102 | North Korea | 39 |
| 103 | Nepal | 38 |
| 104 | Palestinian territories | 37 |
| 105 | Somalia | 34 |
| 106 | Yemen | 33 |
| 107 | Pakistan | 32 |
| 108 | Syria | 29 |
| 109 | Iraq | 28 |
| 110 | Afghanistan | 26 |
The countries at the bottom of the list, have been in the lowest positions for a long time. The main reason why their passports have not been able to perform well are:
- war effects
- economy downfall
- no more agreements with new countries for free visa access
These countries have even agreements with those countries which give access to almost all countries of the world. There are many poor countries in the world that are performing well but due to lack of visa-free access and agreement, they cannot make the passport’s worth better. It will be a great idea to issue two listings instead of one. The one could be for developed countries and the second for the developing countries passport strength list. This will also encourage the lower-ranked and emerging countries to make their passport more powerful.