Singapore passport beats Japan's to become world's most powerful

Singapore has replaced Japan as the country with the world's most powerful passport, according to the latest ranking published by Henley Passport Index on Tuesday (July 18).

It allows visa-free entry to 192 out of 227 global destinations.

Singapore last held the top spot in 2021, with visa-free travel to 194 destinations, compared with second-placed Japan's 193 that year. The Republic was joint-second in 2022 with South Korea, with visa-free access to 192 destinations. Japan was the top country, with 193 visa-free destinations.

In the latest ranking, Japan dropped to third, with visa-free access to 189 destinations around the world. It shares its position with Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden.

Italy, Germany and Spain are joint-second with visa-free access to 190 destinations, according to the list published by London-based immigration consultancy Henley & Partners.

At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan with easy access to 27 destinations. Yemen (99), Pakistan (100), Syria (101) and Iraq (102) round up the bottom five.

With historical data spanning 18 years, the Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association. The index includes 199 different passports.

The Henley Passport Index is updated quarterly and is considered a standard reference tool when assessing where a passport ranks in terms of global mobility.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.