Residents of Singapore possess the world’s most powerful passport, a new report has revealed, while Britain has jumped from sixth to fourth place.
The yearly ranking by Henley & Partners, a citizenship and planning firm, takes into account how many destinations can be visited without applying for a visa.
Citizens of Singapore can travel to 192 out of a possible 227, while Britons can visit 188 countries.
Germany, Italy and Spain share second place, while Japan, Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden all finished third.
The US, meanwhile, continued to slide down the table after falling from sixth to eighth. Researchers pointed out that while American passport holders can access 184 destinations visa-free, the US only allows residents from 44 other countries to pass through its own borders without a visa.
Afghanistan came bottom with visa-free travel to just 27 nations, followed by Iraq (29) and Syria (30).
The UK occupied the top spot from 2013 to 2015, while Germans had the world’s most powerful passport in 2016 and 2017.
A raft of new visa-waiver agreements catapulted Japan and Singapore to the top of the rankings in recent years, but European countries still dominate the top ten.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Henley Passport Index said: “The general trend over the history of the 18-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, with the average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free nearly doubling from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2023.
“However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access 165 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan.”
Dr Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, said only eight countries worldwide have less visa-free access than a decade ago.
He added: “The UAE has added an impressive 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking over the past 10 years from 56th to 12th position. This is almost double the next biggest climber, Colombia, which has enjoyed a jump of 28 places in the ranking to sit in 37th spot.
“Ukraine and China are also among the top 10 countries with the most improved rankings over the past decade.
“Far more than just a travel document that defines our freedom of movement, a strong passport also provides significant financial freedoms in terms of international investment and business opportunities.
“Global connectivity and access have become indispensable features of wealth creation and preservation, and its value will only grow as geopolitical volatility and regional instability increase.”
