Passports have been a big topic of conversation here in the UK over the last few years, with Brexit seeing a return to the ‘British blue’ covers in use before we joined the EU.
However, the value of a passport goes far beyond its colour palette, influenced by world events, diplomacy issues, and restrictions that vary by country.
Each year, the Henley Passport Index lists the passports which allow holders the most travel freedom, basing it on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – and their 2022 ranking has just been published.
This year, the countries with the most powerful passports are Japan and Singapore, who are sharing the top spot for the second year running. Their citizens can travel to 192 countries visa-free.
In joint second (also for another year) is Germany and South Korea, whose passport holders have access to 190 destinations visa-free, while Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain share third place, with a score of 189.
2020’s ranking saw both the UK and US drop to eighth place )the lowest spot held by either country in the index’s 17-year history), but they have both moved to sixth this time around with a score of 186.
Coronavirus restrictions weren’t taken into account for the research, so it’s still worth checking whether you’ll be allowed access to a country. It does give a clearer picture, though, of whether you’ll have to go through lengthy and costly entry processes when you travel.
The Henley Passport Index says that, while this year’s findings show a greater level of mobility for certain high-ranking countries, the gap between these and passports that represent less travel freedom has widened.
Afghanistan, for example, sits at the bottom of the list, with its citizens only able to enter 26 countries visa-free.
A statement accompanying the 2022 list says: ‘This deepening divide in international mobility between wealthier countries and poorer ones was brought into sharp focus late last year with the arrival of the highly infectious Omicron variant, which was met with a raft of punitive restrictions against mainly African nations that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as akin to “travel apartheid”.
‘According to historical data from the Henley Passport Index, an individual could, on average, visit 57 countries in 2006 without needing to acquire a visa in advance.
‘Today, that number has risen to 107, but this overall increase masks a growing disparity between countries in the global north and those in the global south, with nationals from countries such as Sweden and the US able to visit more than 180 destinations visa-free, while passport holders from Angola, Cameroon, and Laos are able to enter only about 50.’
Dr Christian H Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept, added: ‘Passports and visas are among the most important instruments impacting social inequality worldwide as they determine opportunities for global mobility.
‘The borders within which we happen to be born, and the documents we are entitled to hold, are no less arbitrary than our skin colour.
‘Wealthier states need to encourage positive inward migration to help redistribute and rebalance human and material resources worldwide, including improving the size and quality of their own workforces.’
Here’s the full list:
The most powerful passports in the world for 2022
1 Japan 192 visa-free countries
1 Singapore 192
2 Germany 190
2 South Korea 190
3 Finland 189
3 Italy 189
3 Luxembourg 189
3 Spain 189
4 Austria 188
4 Denmark 188
4 France 188
4 Netherlands 188
4 Sweden 188
5 Ireland 187
5 Portugal 187
6 Belgium 186
6 New Zealand 186
6 Norway 186
6 Switzerland 186
6 United Kingdom 186
6 United States 186
7 Australia 185
7 Canada 185
7 Czech Republic 185
7 Greece 185
7 Malta 185
8 Hungary 183
8 Poland 183
9 Lithuania 182
9 Slovakia 182
10 Estonia 181
10 Latvia 181
10 Slovenia 181
11 Iceland 180
12 Malaysia 179
13 Liechtenstein 178
14 Cyprus 176
15 United Arab Emirates 175
16 Chile 174
16 Monaco 174
16 Romania 174
17 Bulgaria 173
17 Croatia 173
18 Hong Kong (SAR China) 171
19 Argentina 170
20 Brazil 169
20 San Marino 169
21 Andorra 168
22 Brunei 166
23 Barbados 161
24 Israel 159
24 Mexico 159
25 St. Kitts and Nevis 157
26 Bahamas 155
27 Uruguay 153
27 Vatican City 153
28 Seychelles 152
29 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 151
30 Antigua and Barbuda 150
30 Costa Rica 150
30 Trinidad and Tobago 150
31 Mauritius 146
31 St. Lucia 146
32 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) 145
33 Dominica 144
33 Grenada 144
33 Macao (SAR China) 144
34 Panama 142
35 Paraguay 141
35 Ukraine 141
36 Peru 135
36 Serbia 135
36 Vanuatu 135
37 El Salvador 134
38 Guatemala 133
38 Honduras 133
39 Colombia 131
39 Samoa 131
39 Solomon Islands 131
40 Tonga 129
40 Venezuela 129
41 Nicaragua 127
41 Tuvalu 127
42 North Macedonia 125
43 Kiribati 123
43 Montenegro 123
44 Marshall Islands 122
45 Moldova 120
46 Palau Islands 119
46 Russian Federation 119
47 Bosnia and Herzegovina 117
47 Micronesia 117
48 Georgia 115
49 Albania 114
50 Turkey 110
51 South Africa 104
52 Belize 101
53 Qatar 97
54 Kuwait 95
55 Timor-Leste 93
56 Ecuador 91
57 Nauru 89
58 Fiji 88
58 Maldives 88
59 Guyana 87
60 Botswana 86
61 Jamaica 85
62 Bahrain 84
63 Papua New Guinea 82
64 China 80
64 Oman 80
65 Belarus 79
65 Bolivia 79
65 Saudi Arabia 79
65 Thailand 79
66 Namibia 78
67 Lesotho 77
67 Suriname 77
68 Kazakhstan 75
69 eSwatini 74
70 Malawi 73
71 Kenya 72
71 Tanzania 72
72 Indonesia 71
72 Tunisia 71
72 Zambia 71
73 Dominican Republic 70
74 Azerbaijan 69
75 Gambia 68
76 Uganda 67
77 Cape Verde Islands 66
77 Philippines 66
78 Armenia 65
78 Zimbabwe 65
79 Cuba 64
79 Ghana 64
79 Morocco 64
80 Kyrgyzstan 63
80 Sierra Leone 63
81 Mozambique 62
82 Benin 61
82 Mongolia 61
82 Rwanda 61
83 India 60
83 Sao Tome and Principe 60
84 Mauritania 59
84 Tajikistan 59
85 Burkina Faso 58
86 Gabon 57
86 Uzbekistan 57
87 Cote d’Ivoire 56
87 Senegal 56
88 Equatorial Guinea 55
88 Madagascar 55
89 Guinea 54
89 Mali 54
89 Togo 54
89 Vietnam 54
90 Bhutan 53
90 Cambodia 53
90 Chad 53
90 Comores Islands 53
90 Niger 53
91 Algeria 52
91 Central African Republic 52
91 Egypt 52
91 Guinea-Bissau 52
91 Jordan 52
91 Turkmenistan 52
92 Burundi 51
93 Angola 50
93 Cameroon 50
93 Laos 50
94 Liberia 49
95 Congo (Rep.) 48
95 Haiti 48
96 Djibouti 47
97 Myanmar 46
98 Ethiopia 45
98 Nigeria 45
99 South Sudan 44
100 Eritrea 43
101 Congo (Dem. Rep.) 42
101 Iran 42
102 Lebanon 41
102 Sri Lanka 41
102 Sudan 41
103 Bangladesh 40
103 Kosovo 40
103 Libya 40
104 North Korea 39
105 Nepal 37
105 Palestinian Territory 37
106 Somalia 34
107 Yemen 33
108 Pakistan 31
109 Syria 29
110 Iraq 28
111 Afghanistan 26
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