One of the hallmarks of any traveler is a well-worn passport, but not every country's passport is the same. Depending on the country of origin, a national passport could carry significant weight and influence at customs — or sometimes not so much. The strength of the world's passports is measured by the International Air Transport Association in its annual Henley Passport Index, which measures "visa-free access to 227 destinations across the world," CNBC reported.
The index uses a mathematical score that "indicates the percentage of global GDP each passport provides to its holders' visa-free," Henley & Partners, the company in charge of the index, said in a press release. "If no visa is required [for a destination], then a score of one is allocated for that passport," said Henley. "Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder must apply for a government-approved electronic visa before departure, a score of 0 is assigned."
Henley also factors in "mobility data" based on national GDPs and the percentage of global wealth each passport could provide access to.
These are 10 of the world's most powerful passports in 2023.
For the fifth consecutive year, Japan topped the list of the world's most powerful passports. A Japanese passport provides visa-free access to 193 of 227 destinations, according to the Henley Index, making it the globe's preeminent travel document. Nearly 85% of the entire world accepts Japan's passports without a visa, making the vast majority of countries easily accessible to the Japanese. However, in an interesting twist, most Japanese people don't do that much traveling. In 2019, only 23% of Japanese citizens held passports, Nikkei Asia reported.
Approximately 3,200 miles away from Japan, Singapore is tied for the top spot on the Henley Index, with a Singaporean passport also allowing visa-free travel to 193 of 227 destinations. Many citizens of Singapore take advantage of these optics, with more than 2.8 million Singaporean passports in circulation, according to market research company Thales Group. However, Thales also noted that the passport's ease of access also makes it a prime target for counterfeiters, though international groups have implemented biometric features to hinder this.
The third-most powerful passport has a nearly identical score as the nations above it. South Korea's passport allows visa-free access to 192 of 227 destinations, Henley reported. It's also one of the very few passports that allow visa-free travel to all of the G8 countries. One place you can't enter with a South Korean passport, though, is North Korea. Like almost all other nations, South Korea does not allow travel to its northern neighbor. The majority of people trying to enter North Korea go in through China, the South China Morning Post reported.