Have you ever wondered which country has the most powerful passport in the world?
If you are a citizen of any one of the countries listed below, you probably remember what it was like to search up last minute flight deals and book a last minute getaway to nearly anywhere. With limited visa restrictions, last minute resort deals were both cheap and easy to book (sometimes even just days before departure). In 2020 though, things are drastically different.
According to the Henley Passport Index who posted their rankings in January of 2020 based on the number of countries each passport holder could visit visa-free (before covid-19) the top 10 rankings were as follows;
Japan (191 countries)
Singapore (190 countries)
South Korea, Germany (189 countries)
Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg (188 countries)
Austria, Denmark (187 countries)
France, Portugal, Sweden, Netherlands, Ireland (186 countries)
Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium (185 countries)
Greece, New Zealand, Malta, Czech Republic (184 countries)
Canada, Australia (183 countries)
Hungary (182 countries)
As an avid traveler, I have put a lot of thought into how the coronavirus itself will change the way that we choose to travel. I have discussed at length the new testing policies and how to travel in a way that is safe for both yourself and others, but what happens when our passports no longer allow us to travel … even with those safety precautions in place?
In order to get a picture of how the coronavirus has changed these statistics, the Global Passport Index has recently adjusted these 2020 passport rankings to take covid-19 travel restrictions into account and it turns out that New Zealand now holds the official title of most powerful passport in the world.
Find the complete list of rankings here.
At the time of posting, Japan has fallen into second place alongside Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Ireland, South Korea and Australia, leaving New Zealand in the first place spot being allowed visa-free entry into a total of 129 destinations.
And if you are wondering where Canada, United Kingdom and United States ended up, the summary of the new top 10 spots is as follows;
New Zealand (129 countries)
Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Australia (128 countries)
Sweden, Belgium, France, Finland, Italy, Spain (127 countries)
Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Lithuania, Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, Canada (126 countries)
Malta, Slovenia, Latvia (125 countries)
Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Liechtenstein (124 countries)
Slovakia (123 countries)
Cyprus, Croatia, Monaco (121 countries)
Romania, Bulgaria (120 countries)
San Marino, Andorra, Uruguay (115 countries)
“But wait … where is the United States?” you ask.
In these new calculations from Global Passport Index, the United States received a noticeable drop from its top 10 ranking to a staggering 21st place alongside the country of Malaysia. At the time of posting, the United States is only permitted to access a total of 52 countries without first acquiring a visa.
As for the lowest ranking countries, Afghanistan and Iraq remain the countries with the weakest passports (with a mobility score of only 31) while Syria, Somalia and Yemen fair only slightly better with scores of 34, 35 and 36.
Are you curious how global travel will change moving forward? Find more information on the future of International travel here and let me know in the comments where you hope to travel to first when travel restrictions are lifted.