The Japanese passport has been named the world’s most powerful passport for 2023, offering its citizens the freedom to travel to more destinations on the planet.
The travel document leads the log in the recent ranking released by Henley Passport Index, which is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The ranking also put two other Asian countries: Singapore and South Korea behind Japa on the index, meaning the Asian trio possess strong travel access to a record 193 and 192 destinations respectively.
Below the Asians on the leaderboard are European countries. Germany and Spain are tied on 190 destinations, followed by Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg at 189.
Afghan passport is the weakest, sitting at the bottom of the ranking as its nationals can only access 27 countries in the world.
The best passports to hold in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index
1. Japan (193 destinations)
2. Singapore, South Korea (192 destinations)
3. Germany, Spain (190 destinations)
4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189 destinations)
5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden (188 destinations)
6. France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom (187 destinations)
7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States, Czech Republic (186 destinations)
8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)
9. Hungary, Poland (184 destinations)
10. Lithuania, Slovakia (183 destinations)
The worst passports to hold in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index
Several countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 40 or fewer countries. These include:
102. North Korea (40 destinations)
103. Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 destinations)
104. Somalia (35 destinations)
105. Yemen (34 destinations)
106. Pakistan (32 destinations)
107. Syria (30 destinations)
108. Iraq (29 destinations)
109. Afghanistan (27 destinations)
