When it comes to traveling, before all the laughter and fun, there also comes the requirements you have to deal with. Everyone knows this and is somehow accustomed to whatever these requirements are. One very important requirement is a passport. Without a passport, you won’t even get to step into whatever country you like. 227 countries require a passport for you to enter their borders. There is simply no guarantee that you get to enter all of these countries. However, there are countries that give you more travel options than other passports. According to the 2022 report by London-Based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, a widening gap is present between south and north in terms of travel freedom. With the firms monitoring of travel-friendly passports, here are the countries with the strongest passports in the world.
1. Japan and Singapore Passports
According to the latest update of the global index, Japan and Singapore remain to be countries that hold the most powerful passports in the world. People who have passports in these countries are able to travel to 192 destinations. Last April, Japan surpassed Singapore when it enabled visitation to 192 countries without the need for a visa.
2. Germany and South Korea Passports
In second place comes Germany and South Korea. Germany and South Korea allow access to about 190 countries. This is extremely many as compared to other countries. And in case you didn’t know, nationals of Australia, the USA, and EU countries can stay visa-free in South Korea for 90 days. This is a privilege not everyone may have, so if you’re a national from any of these countries just know that you are in luck.
3. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain
Third is where Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain come into the picture. These countries allow access to 189 more nations. Spanish passports actually allow travelers to visit more than 180 countries even without a visa.
4. Austria, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Sweden
Next up are Austria, Denmark, France, Netherlands, and Sweden with access to over 188 countries. The EU, as usual, is still included in this list and remains to dominate it as they climb on the top 4.
5. Ireland and Portugal
5th places are Ireland and Portugal as these passports provide access to about 187 counties. Irish passports allow Irish citizens to work, travel and live without any restrictions in any country in the EEA.
If you want to know more, the top 10 most powerful passports only play around in the countries of Japan, Singapore, Germany, South Korea, Italy, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria, and Denmark. All these countries will issue the top ten most powerful passports in 2022. This is because a lot of these are tied for first place.
They were listed in descending order based on the number of countries that passport holders can visit without first applying for a visa. This is based on each passport's current HPI ranking.
What’s the Implication?
Aside from having a good time when you get these passports, there is also more to it than you think. This also signifies that there is light in the growing divide in international mobility. As the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres compared the tough restrictions imposed against mainly African countries to "travel apartheid," this sheds light on a growing divide in international mobility between wealthier and poorer countries.
Aside from the pandemic, global travel freedom has increased dramatically in recent years. This is considered good news. With the news from the Henley Passport Index in 2006 that individuals might visit 57 countries on average without needing to obtain a visa ahead of time. And today, as that number has nearly doubled to 107, more good news comes our way.
However, if you’re not from Europe or North American countries you may miss out on these privileges. These new freedoms are mostly enjoyed by Europeans, North Americans, and wealthy Asian countries; passport holders from Angola, Cameroon, and Laos can only enter roughly 50 countries.
With the pandemic still around and with no total end yet in sight, opening up migration channels, according to Christian H. Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners and creator of the passport index concept, will be critical for post-pandemic recovery. "Passports and visas are among the most important instruments influencing global social inequality since they influence global mobility prospects," he stated. "The borders within which we happen to be born, and the documents we are entitled to hold, are no less arbitrary than our skin color, and wealthier states must encourage positive inward migration to help redistribute and rebalance human and material resources."
On The Other Hand, Which Passports Are the Weakest?
Now that we’ve discussed the strongest passports, let’s also come to find out which countries offer the weakest ones. One of the weakest passports is Afghanistan passports as they only offer 26 countries and territories without applying for a visa in advance. Many still require the traveler to apply for a visa on arrival. The second would be Iraqi passports. Iraqi passports are just ahead of Afghan passports when it comes to the HPI rankings. It allows entrance to also 28 countries without the need for a visa ahead of time. The next ones would be Syria with only 29 visa-free destinations, then comes Pakistan with 31 visa-free destinations, and Yemen with 33 visa-free destinations. These 3 make the bottom five in the HPI rankings of 2022. This comes as a surprise as North Korea is ranked higher than these countries – 2 places higher than Yemen. A North Korean passport can give you access to 39 destinations. Here is a list of the lowest ranking passports in the world, with the least number of countries you can visit.
10 lowest ranking passports: (according to Tripzilla)
104. North Korea (39 destinations)
105. Nepal and Palestinian territories (37)
106. Somalia (34)
107. Yemen (33)
108. Pakistan (31)
109. Syria (29)
110. Iraq (28)
111. Afghanistan (26)
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