Henly & Partners Global Index rating has revealed that German no longer has the most powerful passport, after holding this top spot for quite some time.
In 2018 it seems Japan and Singapore have now taken the crown, both tied for first place, their passports boasting access to 180 countries, visa-free.
Henley & Partners, a London based consulting firm who created the index, published these figures for annual passport rankings earlier this year. However, real-time updates from the firm have revealed that the order has shifted. The country that shifted the tides in this ratings ladder is Uzbekistan, who waived visa requirements for Singapore and Japan in an effort to increase tourism.
These changes also mean that our beautiful country, Australia, has leapt to being the sixth most powerful passport in the world, with passport holders being able to access 174 countries visa-free, up from 171 the previous year. While having your hands on an Australian passport puts you among the globe’s most accessible travelers, it will also put you back quite a few dollars. A recent study has found that Australian passports have recently become the world’s second-most expensive.
The current list of world’s most powerful passports
- Japan, Singapore (180 countries)
- Germany (179 countries)
- Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, South Korea (178 countries)
- Norway, United Kingdom, Austria, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal (177 countries)
- Switzerland, Ireland, United States, Canada (176 countries)
- Belgium, Australia, Greece (174 countries)
- New Zealand, Czech Republic, Malta (173 countries)
- Iceland (172 countries)
