Singaporeans can rejoice because they hold one of the world’s most powerful passports again for 2023 – alongside South Korea. The ranking is based on The Henley Passport Index, and includes 199 different passports and 227 travel destinations.
Singapore and Japan shared first place, with access to 192 destinations, up until recently when Japanese passport holders gained visa-free entry to 193 places worldwide, as nations continue drop travel restrictions.
The passports are ranked using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). It is based on how many countries their holders can travel to without a visa prior to arrival. Wonderfully, passport holders in both Singapore and South Korea can travel to 192 countries without a prior visa. Hence why both tied for second place.
In first place, Japanese citizens have access to a record 193 destinations globally. As for third place, Germany and Spain tied with visa-free entry to 190 places. Meanwhile, Finland, Italy and Luxembourg took fourth place together, with access to 189 destinations without a visa. According to the Index, Afghanistan ranks as the world passport in the world, with access to just 27 countries visa-free.
Here’s the top 10 most powerful passports for 2023:
1. Japan (193 countries)
2. Singapore, South Korea (192)
3. Spain, Germany (190)
4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189)
5. Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands (188)
6. Ireland, France, United Kingdom, Portugal (187)
7. Belgium, United States, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic (186)
8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta (185)
9. Hungary, Poland (184)
10. Slovakia, Lithuania (183)
Indeed, COVID-19, travel restrictions and the war in Ukraine came into play for the powerful passports ranking scores for 2023. For example, Ukrainian passports increased to 36th on the list. While Russian passports fell to 49th in 2022 due to sanctions and other restrictions.
SEE MORE: The Best Countries To Travel To In 2023 from Singapore