These Are The World’s Most (And Least) Powerful Passports In 2023 : by Tyler Durden

These Are The World’s Most (And Least) Powerful Passports In 2023

Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/15/2023 – 05:45

​ These Are The World’s Most (And Least) Powerful Passports In 2023

Depending on your passport, travel can be as simple as just booking flights, finding a hotel, and, then simply going.

But, as Visual Capitalist’s Avery Koop details below, for many across the world, it’s not that easy – a number of passport holders need to obtain a travel/tourist visa prior to arrival. These visas typically require approval from the destination country’s government that can take weeks or months.

Japanese passport holders, for example, are able to visit 193 countries without pre-approval (nearly every country on Earth). Afghans, on the other hand, can only visit 27 countries with the same level of ease.

This ranking uses data from Henley & Partners, which determines the number of countries to which a passport holder has visa-free access.

The World’s Passports

First let’s look at every country’s position in the ranking in the table below:

Rank
Passport
Number of Countries Allowing Visa-Free Access
#1
🇯🇵 Japan
193
#1
🇸🇬 Singapore
193
#3
🇰🇷 South Korea
192
#4
🇩🇪 Germany
191
#4
🇪🇸 Spain
191
#6
🇫🇮 Finland
190
#6
🇮🇹 Italy
190
#6
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
190
#9
🇦🇹 Austria
189
#9
🇩🇰 Denmark
189
#9
🇳🇱 Netherlands
189
#9
🇸🇪 Sweden
189
#13
🇫🇷 France
188
#13
🇮🇪 Ireland
188
#13
🇵🇹 Portugal
188
#13
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
188
#17
🇧🇪 Belgium
187
#17
🇨🇿 Czechia
187
#17
🇳🇿 New Zealand
187
#17
🇳🇴 Norway
187
#17
🇨🇭 Switzerland
187
#17
🇺🇸 United States
187
#23
🇦🇺 Australia
186
#23
🇨🇦 Canada
186
#23
🇬🇷 Greece
186
#23
🇲🇹 Malta
186
#27
🇭🇺 Hungary
185
#27
🇵🇱 Poland
185
#29
🇱🇹 Lithuania
184
#29
🇸🇰 Slovakia
184
#31
🇱🇻 Latvia
183
#31
🇸🇮 Slovenia
183
#33
🇪🇪 Estonia
182
#34
🇮🇸 Iceland
181
#35
🇲🇾 Malaysia
180
#36
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein
179
#37
🇨🇾 Cyprus
178
#37
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
178
#39
🇷🇴 Romania
176
#40
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
175
#40
🇨🇱 Chile
175
#40
🇭🇷 Croatia
175
#40
🇲🇨 Monaco
175
#44
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (SAR China)
172
#45
🇦🇷 Argentina
171
#46
🇧🇷 Brazil
170
#46
🇸🇲 San Marino
170
#48
🇦🇩 Andorra
169
#49
🇧🇳 Brunei
167
#50
🇧🇧 Barbados
162
#51
🇮🇱 Israel
160
#51
🇲🇽 Mexico
160
#53
🇰🇳 St. Kitts and Nevis
156
#54
🇧🇸 Bahamas
155
#55
🇻🇦 Vatican City
154
#56
🇸🇨 Seychelles
153
#56
🇺🇾 Uruguay
153
#58
🇻🇨 St. Vincent and the Grenadines
151
#59
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda
150
#59
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
150
#59
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
150
#62
🇲🇺 Mauritius
146
#63
🇱🇨 St. Lucia
146
#63
🇹🇼 Taiwan
146
#65
🇬🇩 Grenada
145
#66
🇩🇲 Dominica
144
#66
🇲🇴 Macao (SAR China)
144
#66
🇺🇦 Ukraine
144
#69
🇵🇦 Panama
143
#70
🇵🇾 Paraguay
141
#71
🇷🇸 Serbia
137
#72
🇵🇪 Peru
136
#73
🇨🇴 Colombia
133
#73
🇬🇹 Guatemala
133
#73
🇭🇳 Honduras
133
#76
🇸🇻 El Salvador
132
#77
🇼🇸 Samoa
131
#77
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
131
#79
🇹🇴 Tonga
129
#80
🇻🇪 Venezuela
128
#81
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
127
#81
🇹🇻 Tuvalu
127
#83
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
125
#84
🇲🇪 Montenegro
124
#85
🇰🇮 Kiribati
123
#86
🇲🇭 Marshall Islands
122
#87
🇲🇩 Moldova
120
#88
🇵🇼 Palau Islands
119
#89
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
118
#89
🇫🇲 Micronesia
118
#89
🇷🇺 Russia
118
#92
🇦🇱 Albania
115
#92
🇬🇪 Georgia
115
#94
🇹🇷 Türkiye
111
#95
🇿🇦 South Africa
106
#96
🇧🇿 Belize
102
#97
🇶🇦 Qatar
100
#98
🇰🇼 Kuwait
97
#98
🇻🇺 Vanuatu
97
#100
🇹🇱 Timor-Leste
94
#101
🇪🇨 Ecuador
92
#102
🇲🇻 Maldives
89
#102
🇳🇷 Nauru
89
#104
🇧🇭 Bahrain
87
#104
🇫🇯 Fiji
87
#104
🇬🇾 Guyana
87
#107
🇧🇼 Botswana
86
#107
🇯🇲 Jamaica
86
#109
🇴🇲 Oman
82
#109
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
82
#109
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
82
#112
🇨🇳 China
81
#113
🇧🇾 Belarus
79
#113
🇧🇴 Bolivia
79
#113
🇹🇭 Thailand
79
#116
🇳🇦 Namibia
78
#117
🇱🇸 Lesotho
77
#117
🇸🇷 Suriname
77
#119
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
75
#120
🇸🇿 Eswatini
74
#121
🇲🇼 Malawi
73
#122
🇮🇩 Indonesia
72
#122
🇰🇪 Kenya
72
#124
🇹🇿 Tanzania
71
#124
🇹🇳 Tunisia
71
#126
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
70
#126
🇿🇲 Zambia
70
#128
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
69
#129
🇬🇲 The Gambia
68
#130
🇵🇭 Philippines
67
#131
🇺🇬 Uganda
66
#132
🇦🇲 Armenia
65
#132
🇨🇻 Cape Verde Islands
65
#132
🇲🇦 Morocco
65
#132
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
65
#136
🇨🇺 Cuba
64
#136
🇬🇭 Ghana
64
#136
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
64
#139
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
63
#140
🇲🇳 Mongolia
61
#140
🇲🇿 Mozambique
61
#142
🇧🇯 Benin
60
#142
🇮🇳 India
60
#142
🇷🇼 Rwanda
60
#145
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe
59
#145
🇹🇯 Tajikistan
59
#145
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
59
#148
🇲🇷 Mauritania
58
#149
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
57
#150
🇨🇮 Cote d’Ivoire
56
#150
🇬🇦 Gabon
56
#150
🇸🇳 Senegal
56
#153
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea
55
#153
🇬🇳 Guinea
55
#153
🇻🇳 Vietnam
55
#156
🇰🇭 Cambodia
54
#156
🇲🇬 Madagascar
54
#156
🇹🇬 Togo
54
#159
🇪🇬 Egypt
53
#159
🇯🇴 Jordan
53
#159
🇲🇱 Mali
53
#159
🇳🇪 Niger
53
#163
🇩🇿 Algeria
52
#163
🇧🇹 Bhutan
52
#163
🇨🇫 Central African Republic
52
#163
🇹🇩 Chad
52
#163
🇰🇲 Comoros
52
#163
🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau
52
#163
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
52
#170
🇨🇲 Cameroon
51
#171
🇦🇴 Angola
50
#171
🇱🇦 Laos
50
#173
🇧🇮 Burundi
49
#173
🇨🇬 Congo (Rep.)
49
#173
🇱🇷 Liberia
49
#176
🇩🇯 Djibouti
48
#176
🇭🇹 Haiti
48
#178
🇲🇲 Myanmar
47
#179
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
46
#179
🇳🇬 Nigeria
46
#181
🇪🇷 Eritrea
44
#181
🇮🇷 Iran
44
#181
🇸🇸 South Sudan
44
#184
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
42
#184
🇸🇩 Sudan
42
#186
🇽🇰 Kosovo
41
#186
🇱🇧 Lebanon
41
#186
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
41
#189
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
40
#189
🇱🇾 Libya
40
#189
🇰🇵 North Korea
40
#192
🇵🇸 Palestine
38
#193
🇳🇵 Nepal
37
#194
🇸🇴 Somalia
35
#195
🇾🇪 Yemen
34
#196
🇵🇰 Pakistan
32
#197
🇸🇾 Syria
30
#198
🇮🇶 Iraq
29
#199
Afghanistan
27
Visas are imposed by some countries to make it easier to track visitors, allowing a country to assess whether said passport-holder may be a risk for illegal immigration, crime, acts of terror, or covert surveillance.

For example, both Russia and China require American passport holders to obtain visas prior to travel, and vice versa.

The Most Powerful Passports

When it comes to the most powerful passports, most of the top 20 are issued by countries in Asia or Europe, with the exception of New Zealand and the United States.

Due to multiple ties in the rankings the U.S. technically ranks 17th, having visa-free access to 187 countries, on par with Norway, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

Ranking 66th, Ukraine’s passport has actually seen drastic improvement over the last decade, currently getting visa-free access to 144 countries. It has yet to be seen how this will change in the wake of the Russia/Ukraine conflict.

The Least Powerful Passports

Many of least powerful passports come out of war-torn and politically unstable nations. As visas for travel are typically required to counter illicit activity, these nations are often flagged whether justly or not.

One immediate standout among the least powerful passports is North Korea. The insular nation has visa-free access to 40 countries, ranking it above eight other passports on the list.

Most North Koreans who travel abroad do so only in extremely special circumstances for work, study, or athletic competitions. Leisure travel out of North Korea does not happen, but technically, North Koreans can visit countries like Haiti, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Palestine, and Kyrgyzstan, among others without a visa.

The Biggest Gainers & Losers Over Time

From a big picture standpoint, the world’s travelers have seen their access improve significantly over the last 10 years. If you’re a citizen of the UAE, for example, your prospects for visa-free travel have improved by 100+ countries over the last decade.

Here’s a closer look at 15 countries with the greatest change in visa-free access:

Rank
Country
2013 Visa-Free Access
2023 Visa-Free Access
10 Year Change
#1
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
72
178
+106
#2
🇨🇴 Colombia
63
133
+70
#3
🇺🇦 Ukraine
77
144
+67
#4
🇲🇩 Moldova
59
120
+61
#5
🇻🇨 St. Vincent and the Grenadines
92
151
+59
#6
🇩🇲 Dominica
87
144
+57
#6
🇬🇩 Grenada
88
145
+57
#8
🇵🇪 Peru
80
136
+56
#9
🇬🇪 Georgia
60
115
+55
#10
🇱🇨 St. Lucia
94
146
+52
#11
🇼🇸 Samoa
81
131
+50
#11
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
100
150
+50
#13
🇹🇴 Tonga
80
129
+49
#14
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
84
131
+47
#15
🇭🇷 Croatia
129
175
+46
On the other hand, other countries have fared poorly, with some actually losing access to destinations since 2013. Yemen and Syria are tied for first place, having lost visa-free access to nine countries over the last 10 years.

Here’s a look at 15 countries who experienced the biggest negative change:

Rank
Country
2013 Visa-Free Access
2023 Visa-Free Access
10 Year Change
#1
🇾🇪 Yemen
43
34
-9
#1
🇸🇾 Syria
39
30
-9
#3
🇳🇬 Nigeria
48
46
-2
#3
🇮🇶 Iraq
31
29
-2
#5
🇰🇵 North Korea
41
40
-1
#5
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
41
40
-1
#5
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
28
27
-1
#8
🇻🇪 Venezuela
128
128
0
#8
🇬🇲 The Gambia
68
68
0
#8
🇵🇰 Pakistan
32
32
0
#8
🇳🇪 Niger
53
53
0
#8
🇳🇵 Nepal
37
37
0
#8
🇲🇱 Mali
53
53
0
#14
🇹🇬 Togo
53
54
+1
#14
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
63
64
+1
Looking at the tables above, it’s apparent that the world has generally become more open in recent years.

Overall, the power of a passport is almost directly reflective of the political state of the world. World powers and rich nations typically have free flow of travel, but those facing instability or war are often also face barriers when wanting to go abroad.

Tyler Durden
Wed, 02/15/2023 – 05:45