The Most Powerful Passports in the World for 2022

Passport holders from the two countries tied for first are able to enter 192 different destinations around the world without a visa.

Japan and Singapore once again held the two most powerful passports in the world for 2022, according to the Henley Passport Index.

Passport holders from the two countries — which also tied for first place last year — are able to enter 192 different destinations around the world without a visa, not taking into account the effect of COVID-19-related restrictions. They were followed by Germany and South Korea, which tied for second place with access to 190 destinations visa-free.

The Henley Passport Index uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to compile its rankings.

"Passports and visas are among the most important instruments impacting on social inequality worldwide as they determine opportunities for global mobility," Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, said in a statement. "The borders within which we happen to be born, and the documents we are entitled to hold, are no less arbitrary than our skin color. Wealthier states need to encourage positive inward migration in an effort to help redistribute and rebalance human and material resources worldwide, including improving the size and quality of their own workforces."

The United States and the United Kingdom tied for sixth place with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 186 destinations. In 2020, the U.S. came in eighth place.

Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland also tied for sixth place this year.

While some countries rose in the rankings, the company said this year's index also showed the widest gap in global mobility since it was founded 17 years ago. On the other end of the spectrum sits countries like Afghanistan, where passport holders can only enter 26 destinations without a visa, and Mozambique — one of the countries included in the temporary U.S. travel ban on southern African countries following the emergence of the omicron variant — where passport holders can only enter 62 destinations visa-free.

These are the most powerful passports in the world —

1. Japan and Singapore
   Both Japan and Singapore secured the first rank again in the list. The passport holders from these countries can travel visa free to 192 countries. 
2. Germany and South Korea
   Grabbing the second spot yet again, Germany and South Korea passport holders can travel to 190 countries without a prior visa.
3. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain
   These countries combinely share the third rank of the list. Citizens of these countries can travel visa-free to 189 countries.
4. Austria, Denmark, France and Netherlands
   France and Netherlands climb up by one spot to join Austria and Denmark at number 4, with access to 188 countries without a prior visa.
5. Ireland and Portugal
   Swedish and Portuguese can travel to 187 countries without any prior visa.
6. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States
   The sixth rank is shared by these six countries in the list. Citizens of these countries can travel to 186 countries without any prior visa.
7. Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece and Malta
   Australia and Canada climb one position joining the countries at the seventh position. People of these five countries can travel to 185 countries without a prior visa.
8. Hungary and Poland
   Hungary climbs two positions, whereas Poland rises by three spots to seventh rank. People from these two countries have access to 184 countries without a prior visa.
9. Lithuania and Slovakia
   Citizens of Lithuania and Slovakia have the right to travel to 182 countries without a prior visa.
10. Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia
    Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia shared the tenth ranking in the list of powerful passport countries. Passport holders of these countries can enjoy no visa travel to 181 countries.