Singapore passport topples Japan to take the No. 1 rank on Henley Passport Index 2023

Singapore, one of the top leisure and business destinations in the world, has toppled Japan and taken the No. 1 position on the just released Henley Passport Index 2023. Passport power is measured by the number of countries that grant visa-free (or visa-on-arrival) access to holders of a particular passport, and the Singapore passport gets visa-free entry to 192 destinations out of the 227 listed on this index.

Henley said that the Singapore passport was steadily gaining power over the years, climbing five rungs over 10 years, as its visa-free destination score increased by 25. Photo courtesy: Instagram/sgpassport

Japan, the Asian economic powerhouse that was last year’s topper with a passport power score of 193, is now in third place on this year’s Henley index, with visa-free access to 189 destinations for Japanese passport-holders.

The second place on the index saw three countries — Germany, Italy, and Spain — tied together, as their passport-holders get visa-free entry to 190 destinations.

The Henley index is compiled on the basis of data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).

Japan is not alone in the third place. Other countries that also get visa-free access to 189 destinations include Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden. The fourth place on the index was taken by the United Kingdom, whose ranking has improved two rungs.

“The general trend over the history of the 18-year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom,” said a press release from Henley.

For Singapore, this is not the peak of its passport power. The country’s passport got visa-free access to 194 destinations, as per the Henley index of 2021. That means, eventually, the Singapore passport might open visa-free doors to almost all the destinations in the world.

Not only is the Singapore passport the most powerful in the world in 2023, but Changi international airport in Singapore is also the best in the world, as per 2023 rankings. Photo courtesy: Instagram/sgpassport

Henley said that the Singapore passport was steadily gaining power over the years, climbing five rungs over 10 years, as its visa-free destination score increased by 25.

As for the United States of America, generally considered to have the most coveted passport in the world, the Henley rank is now eighth. This is not because US passport-holders have less visa-free access than before, but because other countries have progressed more in this regard.