The Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
Without taking temporary restrictions into account, Japan continues to hold the number one position on the index, with passport holders able to access 191 destinations around the world visa-free. This marks the third consecutive year that Japan has held the top spot, either alone or jointly with Singapore.
In 2021, the Swiss passport remained in 7th position with visa-free access to 185 nations, alongside the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, and New Zealand.
Asia Pacific (APAC) region countries dominate the index. The ascendance of APAC countries in the index is a relatively new phenomenon. 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.
The best passports for travellers to hold in 2021 are:
- Japan (191 destinations)
- Singapore (190)
- South Korea, Germany (189)
- Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg (188)
- Denmark, Austria (187)
- Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland (186)
- Switzerland, US, UK, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand (185)
- Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, Australia (184)
- Canada (183)
- Hungary (181)
The worst passports to travel on include:
- North Korea (39 destinations)
- Libya, Nepal (38)
- Palestinian territories (37)
- Somalia, Yemen (33)
- Pakistan (32)
- Syria (29)
- Iraq (28)
- Afghanistan (26)
With the US and the UK still facing significant challenges related to the virus, and the passport strength of both countries continuing to steadily erode, the balance of power is shifting. Over the past seven years, the US passport has fallen from the number one spot to 7th place, a position it currently shares with the UK. Due to pandemic-related travel constraints, travelers 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.
More on this:
Henley passport index (in English)
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Paul Dodd says
The pandemic restrictions are not based on which passport you hold, but from which country you are travelling from (excluding short term stays and transit).