Henley Passport Index out: Japan tops the rank!

The Henley Passport Index is out and Japan remains at the top for the fifth time. Followed by Singapore and South Korea. Indian passport stands at 87th rank. 

Henley Passport Index: 

It ranks 199 passports as per the number of countries their holders can enter without a prior visa. The upliftment of the ban on international travel supported the passports to regain strengths. 

For example, India lifted the ban on international flights in March 2022, which they had suspended two years back in March 2020, to limit the outbreak of COVID-19. 

The index uses data of 17 years, to help wealthy individuals and governments to access the value of citizenship, over the globe, which passports supports most hassle-free access to countries.  

Japanese Passport:  

Japanese Passport holds onto its top position for most powerful passport for fifth year, in a row. It gives hassle-free entry to 193 countries. 

On the second place, Singapore and South Korea passports, stands jointly, both of which gives access to 192 countries. 

Indian Passport: 

Standing at 87, the Indian passport supports easy access to 57 countries. The Indian passport holders enjoy unrestricted access to 57 countries, just like they did in the pre-pandemic era. 

“The recovery and reclamation of our travel freedoms, and our innate instinct to move and migrate, will take time,”

-Henley & Partners Chairman Christian Kaelin 

Other Passports: 

EU member countries occupies the rest of the top 10 ranks as follows: 

Third place: Germany and Spain, jointly, providing access to 190 countries. 

Fourth place: Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg, stand together, giving entry to 189 destinations. 

Fifth place: Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden, share the position, as their passport holders can travel to 188 nations. 

Russia stands at 50th rank, providing access to 119 destinations. China is at 69th, having access to 80 countries. With access to only 27 countries, Afghanistan’s pass port is the least useful one.  

UAE emerges as the winner in the Pandemic: 

Despite the turmoil of two consecutive pandemic years, the UAE passport kept growing in strength. This year is stands at 15th place in Henley’s ranking, with a score of 176. In the past decade, the passport became the biggest index climber. A decade back in 2012, UAE passport was at 64th rank scoring only 106.  

According to Henley Private Wealth Migration Dashboard, the UAE is now the focus of interest for affluent investors. It is likely expected to witness the global highest net influx of HNWIs in the year 2022.  

“Throughout the chaos of the pandemic, the benefits of a second or even third passport were self-evident for investors seeking security and peace of mind. Governments have also acknowledged the merits that investment migration offers citizens of host countries if foreign direct investment funds are adequately allocated to much-needed social and economic development initiatives. We have seen an increase of 55% in enquiries compared to the previous quarter, which was itself record-breaking. The top four nationalities currently driving demand are Russians, Indians, Americans, and Britons, and for the first time ever, Ukrainians are in the top 10 globally,”

-Dr Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners 

The worst passports to hold: 

These are the passports that have access to 40 or even less destinations around the globe. Pakistan stands at 4th place for least powerful passport as it gives access to only 32 nations. 

112th place: Afghanistan, giving access to only 27 destinations. 

111th place: Iraq, providing entry to 29 nations only. 

110th place: Syria, holders can have hassle free access to only 30 countries. 

109th place: Pakistan, with access to only 32 destinations. 

108th place: Yemen, giving access to 34 destinations only.