S’pore Passport is the 2nd Most Powerful Passport in the World; Japan Remains at First Place

Japan may be renowned for its technology, sakura trees and various assorted kinks, but it appears that they also boast the most powerful passport in the world…

Triumphing even Singapore’s, despite the lion city’s overwhelming tendency to… overachieve.

Indeed, Japan’s passport is said to be useful for some 193 destinations, one more than our own.

S’pore Passport is the 2nd Most Powerful Passport in the World; Japan Remains at First Place

According to an updated global index by advisory firm Henley & Partners, Japan continues to reign supreme as the world’s most powerful passport.

They currently stand at a record 193 destinations, which are all accessible without a prior visa.

On the other hand, Singapore is at 192.

Meanwhile, South Korea and Germany share third-place with 191 destinations.

Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain take up the fourth slot.

And to round off the top five, we have Austria and Denmark.

Interestingly, powerhouse nations Britain and the United States are in seventh place, while China has climbed the ranks to attain 68th with a score of 77.

On the other end of the spectrum, citizens of Afghanistan are only able to reach 26 nations without the procurement of a visa.

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Index

The global index ranks passport power by the number of accessible destinations without the prior attainment of a visa.

It’s said to be updated throughout the entire year. However, it’s supposedly non-indicative of the current COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Instead, the index is touted to be a possible insight into how post-pandemic travel freedom may look like.

Henley & Partners chairman Christian Kaelin said: “While nobody expects a return to pre-pandemic mobility levels anytime soon, the outlook now is certainly more hopeful than it was even a few months ago.”

Though there are other passport indexes on the Internet, the Henley Passport Index prides itself as the “original and most authoritative passport index”.

Apparently, it has historical data going back some 16 years.

“The index and its contents are based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and supplemented, enhanced, and updated using extensive in-house research and open-source online data,” Henley Global disclosed.

“The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. Updated quarterly, the Henley Passport Index is the most robust and reliable index of its kind.”

Distinct Rivalry

In yesteryears, competition between the two passports has been relatively intense.

Initially a runner-up to the throne, Singapore subsequently went on to tie with Japan for first place before the latter one-upped again, having secured easier access to Saudi Arabia.

Only time will tell whether Singapore will emerge victorious in the end, or whether it’s destined to play second fiddle till the end of time.

But first, let’s get the pandemic out of the way.

Featured Image: tristan tan / shutterstock.com