In 2023, Japan has the world’s strongest passport. Holders are in a position to go to 193 locations with out a prior visa

It’s official. Globally, we’re on the transfer once more. In 2022, worldwide journey confirmed important signs of recovery, with arrivals reaching 57% of pre-pandemic ranges. An estimated 474 million vacationers travelled internationally throughout the first seven months of 2022, in comparison with 175 million in the identical interval of 2021.

As we mentioned in our annual round-up, 2022 was a watershed 12 months for us – one among lifetime highs and targets. We stay hopeful about the way forward for journey and hope that the identical developments persist into 2023. We imagine that exploration is a human intuition and hope that individuals will proceed to return to the highway.

With this in thoughts, we check out the not too long ago up to date rating of the world’s strongest passports, compiled by the Henley Passport Index. With historic information spanning 18 years, the index ranks passports in keeping with the variety of locations their holders can entry with out a prior visa.

Enhance in Visa-Free Locations: 2006 versus 2022

The darker blue international locations have elevated the variety of locations their residents can entry visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival essentially the most. Hover over a rustic to see the variety of locations it has gained entry to since 2006.

How is the rating calculated?

The Henley Passport Index makes use of information from the Worldwide Air Transport Authority to cross-check 199 passports towards 227 potential journey locations. 

For every journey vacation spot, if no visa is required or a visa-on-arrival is offered, the passport in query receives a rating of 1. If a visa or different type of authorities approval is required earlier than departure, the passport receives a rating of 0. 

The scores for every passport are added as much as produce its complete rating (i.e. the variety of locations to which it grants entry with out a prior visa). That is then ranked towards all different passports to create the index. 

attention-grabbing insights

Japan has taken the highest spot of the index for the fifth consecutive 12 months, both alone or collectively with Singapore. This 12 months it’s as soon as once more moved forward of Singapore.

Over the previous eight years, the US passport has fallen from the primary spot to seventh place, a place it presently shares with Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland.

North Korea has visa-free/visa-on-arrival entry to 40 locations. This contains just one nation in Europe: Belarus. 

The UAE has continued its outstanding upward trajectory. In 2023, it has a rating of 178 to take fifteenth place on the rating. It is a fast ascent from 2006 when it had a rating of simply 35 and ranked 62nd.

The largest climbers over the previous decade are UAE, Colombia, Timor-Leste, Ukraine, Georgia and Peru. In distinction, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, Libya, The Gambia and Sierra Leone have fared the worst. 

World’s strongest passport – ranked

This text is up to date yearly with the most recent accessible information.

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Lead picture: Sachiczko/Shutterstock