The Japanese Passport Is Still The ‘Most Powerful’ In The World

Japan has the most powerful passport in the world, according to the Henley Passport Index, with its citizens able to visit 193 countries without a prior visa. South Korea and Singapore come in joint second place, with their citizens able to visit 192 countries.

As Statista’s Anna Fleck points out, even though the United States is a little further down the list, coming in at 7th place, it still yields considerable power, enabling citizens to enter 186 countries without major restrictions.

It’s a level of freedom also enjoyed by passport holders in Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland.

At the other end of the scale, the situation is very different.

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For passport holders in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria for example, travel is more restrictive to most countries.

The Afghan passport wields the least power of the ranking, with just 27 destinations permissible visa-free.

The situation in Iraq and Syria isn’t much better, at 29 and 30 destinations, respectively.

The Henley Passport Index draws from data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), including 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.