According to the most recent Henley Passport Index, which Japan tops for a sixth straight year, the East Asian nation will begin 2023 as the issuer of most powerful passport in the world, allowing visa-free admission to 193 international locations. Despite travel being on the upswing since Covid, this does not imply that passports are frequently used in Japan. According to the most recent data available from the nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were only 24 million valid Japanese passports in use as of the end of 2021. Less than 20 per cent of the population held a valid travel document, a decrease of more than 3 million from the previous year.
Topping Germany, Spain, and a number of other European countries, Singapore and South Korea maintained their joint positions in second place on the ranking.
With visa-free travel to 186 countries, the US ranked among the top 22, alongside countries such as Switzerland, New Zealand, and Norway. Bolivia’s and China’s both grant access to 80. Afghanistan’s passport remains the weakest, with access to just 27, while Russia’s offers hassle-free entrance to 118 locations.
The report, which utilizes information from the International Air Transport Association to rate 199 passports’ access to 227 travel destinations, was released by the London-based immigration firm Henley & Partners.
Travel Numbers
With Asia-Pacific opening up following Covid, its people are more likely to use their freedom to travel once more.
Currently, international travel is roughly 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Numerous European nations are positioned close to the top of the leaderboard below the top three Asian nations. Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg are next with 189 destinations, followed by Germany and Spain, who are tied with 190. Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden are tied in fifth place, followed by France, Ireland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, which are ranked 6th overall. At No. 7, among Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, are New Zealand and the United States.
Hungary
Hungary closely follows the above-mentioned European countries, holding the 9th place tied with Poland. Their passports include 184 destinations. Hungary has always been a great tourist destination, however, with the passport rankings, it is evident that travelling is easier than ever from the country. Many Hungarians holiday in resorts in surrounding countries or even domestically. In recent years, before the pandemic, flying was also generating high revenues. With airline companies providing cheap last-minute flights, many prefer to holiday somewhere where they can comfortably fly to. As it turns out, they have 184 destinations to choose from for the upcoming summer.
The Rankings
According to the Henley Passport Index, this is the list of the top ten strongest passport s1 January:
1. Japan (193 destinations)
2. Singapore, South Korea (192 destinations)
3. Germany, Spain (190 destinations)
4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189 destinations)
5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden (188 destinations)
6. France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom (187 destinations)
7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States, Czech Republic (186 destinations)
8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)
9. Hungary, Poland (184 destinations)
10. Lithuania, Slovakia (183 destinations)
