In the most significant ranking change in years, six nations have tied for the top spot in the Henley Passport Index, a list that ranks passports by the number of visa-free destinations they entitle a traveler to enter.
After five years of Japan in sole possession of the top spot, it’s now tied with France, Germany, Italy, Singapore and Spain, all of them previously near but not at the top. The U.S. remained in a seventh place tie.
The ranking method gives a value of 1 for destinations that require no visa or allow a traveler to get a visa on arrival. Any destination that requires a government-approved e-visa or other predeparture approval gets a zero. Next year’s rankings could show some sharp change when the EU implements its pre-travel electronic authorization system later this year.
For 2023, here are the rankings, with the number of destinations available.
MOST POWERFUL
1. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain (194)
2. Finland, South Korea, Sweden (193)
3. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands (192)
4. Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, U.K. (191)
5. Greece, Malta, Switzerland (190)
6. Australia, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Poland (189)
7. Canada, Hungary, U.S. (188)
8. Estonia, Lithuania (187)
9. Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (186)
10. Iceland (185)
LEAST POWERFUL
1. Afghanistan (28)
2. Syria (29)
3. Iraq (31)
4. Pakistan (34)
5. Yemen (35)
6. Somalia (36)
7. Libya, Nepal, Palestinian Territories (40)
8. Bangladesh, North Korea (42)
9. Eritrea, Sri Lanka (43)
10. Iran, Lebanon, Nigeria, Sudan (45)
