bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Business Insider

By Dylan Tan
The Singapore passport is no longer the most powerful in the world, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
Japan now occupies the top spot and its passport can be used to travel visa-free to a record 189 destinations.
Singapore is tied with Germany in second place as the passports of both countries allows visa-free travel to 188 destinations.
Third place is shared by six countries: one Asian (South Korea) and the rest European (Finland, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden). The US and the UK are tied in 4th place, along with Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal. 
Hong Kong trumps Singapore again to be world’s freest economy
The fastest overall climber is the UAE, in 23rd place. It has ascended 38 places since 2008 and secured more new visa-waivers for its citizens in 2018 than any other jurisdiction in the world. The UAE is quickly closing in on the lead that Israel, in 19th place, has historically held within the Middle East region. 
China has significantly strengthened its position on the ranking, climbing from 74th to 68th position since Q1 — although the country’s relatively low score of 70 visa-free destinations means it is still near the bottom of the North Asian regional ranking.
What’s given Singapore a taste for Hong Kong-style cooking? 
The Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has recently been updated through extensive research to include eight new travel destinations. 
It surveys a total of 199 different passports against 227 different travel destinations, including countries, territories, and micro-states.

Read the original article at Business Insider


Why the Philippines can’t escape its endless cycle of disaster

Singapore organisers in limbo over work visa ban on foreign performers

Singapore parents welcome curbs on smartphone use in schools: ‘better late than never’

Japan moves to ease China tensions, US ambassador irks Singapore: SCMP’s weekly roundup

Singapore

Singapore passport no longer the most powerful in the world, Japan now occupies top spot

Hong Kong’s passport is in 16th place, allowing visa-free travel to 169 countries

Photo: Henley & Partners

The Singapore passport has lost its status as the most powerful in the world to Japan. Photo: The Straits Times

Singapore now has the most powerful passport in the world

Photo: The Straits Times

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Hong Kong’s passport is in 16th place, allowing visa-free travel to 169 countries
