world’s most powerful passports in 2021
Japan and Singapore stood at the top of this year’s list, with their passports holders allowed to travel visa-free to 192 countries, while South Korea and Germany share the second position. For the third consecutive year, Japan has secured the top position. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen are among the least powerful.
Europe, with Germany at the top, dominates this year’s list of the world’s most powerful passports, according to the last Henley Passport Index. But the German passport, permitting travellers to visit a total of 190 destinations without needing a visa, is not the most powerful in the world. Based on data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) the Henley Passport Index, by the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, has been regularly monitoring the world’s most travel-friendly passports since 2006. Atop the ranking in first place jointly appear Japan and Singapore, with passports that permit to travel visa-free to 192 destinations.
The strongest passports in 2021:
- Japan, Singapore
- Germany, South Korea
- Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain
- Austria, Denmark
- France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden
- Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland
- Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway, UK, US
- Australia, Canada
- Hungary
- Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia
- Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia
- Iceland
- Malaysia
- Liechtenstein
- Cyprus
- UAE, Chile, Monaco, Romania
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Hong Kong
- Argentina, Brazil
The weakest passports in 2021:
106. Congo
107. Iran, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Sudan
108. Bangladesh, Kosovo, Libya
109. North Korea
110. Nepal, Palestine
111. Somalia
112. Yemen
113. Pakistan
114. Syria
115. Iraq
116. Afghanistan
The UK, which ranks in seventh place in the Henley Index, recently eased Covid-19 travel restrictions for some countries but failed to recognise vaccines administered across Africa, South America and South Asia.
From the US, the nation with the highest number of daily Covid-19 cases in the world right now, citizens have access to 185 countries visa-free. Conversely, several restrictions are in place for foreigners wishing to visit America.
As we near the end of 2021, the latest information from the Henley Passport Index paints a gloomy picture with much of the world remaining largely inaccessible to travellers from nations at the lower end of the index.