Henley Index: Japan and Singapore top world's powerful passports list

According to the Henley Passport Index of 2019, Japan and Singapore have been jointly declared as the countries having the world’s most powerful and travel-friendly passports. These nations topped the rankings as their passports allow access to 190 countries. This Index periodically measures the access which each country’s passport provides. The second place is shared by South Korea, Finland, and Germany. Their citizens have access to 188 countries all round the world without a prior visa. While Denmark, Italy, and Luxembourg hold third place, France, Spain and Sweden are in the fourth slot with a score of 187 and 186 respectively.  

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‘Visa-openness as crucial to economic and social progress’ 

Both the United States of America and the United Kingdom had topped the Henley Index in 2014. However, they have slipped down to the sixth position in the latest rankings. On the other hand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) climbed 5 places to reach the 15th spot.  

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Lorraine Charles at Cambridge University's Centre for Business Research stated, "It's the strongest climber this quarter. While the UAE may not be able to compete with Saudi Arabia -- the regional hegemon -- in terms of military strength and economic power, the projection of its soft power is uncontested in the GCC." The creator of the passport index, Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, said, “With a few notable exceptions, the latest rankings from the Henley Passport Index show that countries around the world increasingly view visa-openness as crucial to economic and social progress." 

Countries like Somalia, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan are the worst-performing countries on the list. 

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Arton Capital’s Passport Index 

The Henley Passport Index is only one of the many such indexes created to rank countries according to the access that their passports can provide. The International Air Transport Authority (IATA) provides the data for this purpose. 199 passports and 227 travel destinations fall under the Henley Index’s purview. Whenever there is a change in the visa policy of nations, the data is updated accordingly. Arton Capital has come out with its own passport Index. As per its research, the UAE tops the list with a “visa-free score” of 177 followed by Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, and Spain. 

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