SINGAPORE, March 29 — Singapore once again has the world’s most powerful passport, sharing top spot with Japan and South Korea in the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index released yesterday.
Singapore was ranked joint second with South Korea in the previous editions of the ranking in January and October last year. Japan had first claimed the top ranking last October after leapfrogging Singapore, which last held the position in February 2018.
The Henley Index ranks countries according to the number of destinations its passport allows visa-free access to. The rankings are based on data from the International Air Transport Association and are updated in real-time to reflect visa policy changes as they come into effect.
Singapore, Japan and South Korea currently allow visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 189 other nations.
“With all Asian countries topping the index, there is a clear momentum behind the region taking centre stage in globalisation,” said Parag Khanna, founder and managing partner of data analytics firm FutureMap.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is also expected to contribute to Asian, European, Arab and African nations seeking “more seamless access to each other’s countries”, added Khanna.
The top-ranked countries in Southeast Asia are Singapore, Malaysia (13) and Brunei (21), while Myanmar is the lowest ranked at 91.
Afghanistan and Iraq are the index’s lowest-ranked countries, with their passports allowing visa-free access to 30 countries.
Top-ranked countries
1. Japan, Singapore, South Korea
2. Germany
3. France, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden
4. Luxembourg, Spain
5. Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom. — TODAY
