Japan has been labelled as the country with the most powerful passport in 2023, according to new rankings from the Henley Passport Index.
Japan has claimed the title for the fifth consecutive year, closely followed by Singapore and South Korea.
Japanese citizens can visit 193 destinations visa-free.
New Zealand has remained in seventh place, joint with other countries including the UK and Belgium. NZ passport holders have visa-free access to 186 destinations.
The United Arab Emirates has jumped 49 places in the past ten years, coming in at 15 in 2023.
The least powerful passports named were Syria (107), Iraq (108) and Afghanistan (109). Afghan passport holders can visit just 27 nations without a visa.
Henley said there was a direct link between the strength of a passport and economic power.
“On a macro level, the new study by Henley & Partners reveals that just 6% of passports worldwide give their holders visa-free access to more than 70% of the global economy. And only 17% of countries give their passport holders visa-free access to more than four-fifths of the world’s 227 destinations.
“The Japanese passport gives visa-free access to 85% of the world and, collectively, these countries account for a whopping 98% of the global economy (Japan’s own GDP contribution is around 5%).
"In contrast, the Nigerian passport at the lower end of the index provides visa-free access to only 46 destinations (20% of the world), which account for just 1.5% of global GDP. The lowest ranked Afghanistan passport provides visa-free access to just 12% of the world and less than 1% of global economic output."
SHARE ME