Singapore unseats Japan as country with world’s most powerful passport

After five years at the top, Japan has dropped to third place in the Henley Passport Index, which tracks International Air Transport Association data
The United States, which once topped the ranking nearly a decade ago, slid two places to eighth, while Britain jumped up two places to fourth

Singapore

Bloomberg

Published: 10:28am, 19 Jul 2023

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Singapore has replaced Japan as having the world’s most powerful passport, allowing visa-free entry to 192 global destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.

After five years at the top, Japan dropped to third place as the number of destinations its passport can access without a visa fell, according to the ranking published by London-based immigration consultancy Henley & Partners.

The United States, which once topped the ranking nearly a decade ago, slid two places to eighth.

A visitor walks through Supertree Grove at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay on Monday. Landing the privilege to use the city state’s travel document isn’t easy. Photo: AP

Britain, after a Brexit-induced slump, jumped up two places to fourth, a position it last held in 2017.

Singapore is a magnet for wealth, with a recent influx driven by a crackdown on private enterprise in China and fears over geopolitical tensions.

But landing the privilege to use the city state’s travel document isn’t easy.

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The nation of 5.6 million granted citizenship to about 23,100 people last year, and authorities earlier this year ruled out doing so based on the net worth of individuals.

Henley’s ranking tracks data from the International Air Transport Association. The methodology differs from other passport indexes like the one published by financial advisory Arton Capital, which put the United Arab Emirates in pole position last year.