(CNN) — A trio of Asian passports offer their holders more global travel freedom than those of any other country, according to a new quarterly report released by London-based citizenship and residency consultancy Henley & Partners. Japan has pushed ahead of Singapore and South Korea to offer its citizens visa-free or on-demand access to a record 193 destinations around the world, compared to 192 for the other two leaders. However, Asia’s more cautious response to Covid-19 means that these citizens are less likely to make use of this freedom of travel than people in Europe or America. International passenger demand for air travel in the Asia-Pacific region is still less than a fifth of pre-Covid levels, according to the latest statistics from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In comparison, the Henley Passport Index report says, markets in Europe and North America have recovered to around 60% of previous travel mobility levels.
Europe dominates again
Below Asia’s top three, a host of European countries are near the top of the table. Germany and Spain are tied at 190 destinations, followed by Finland, Italy and Luxembourg with 189. Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden are then in fifth place, while France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom are at No. 6. New Zealand and the United States make an appearance at No.7, along with Belgium, Norway and Switzerland. Afghan nationals are once again at the bottom of the index and can access just 27 countries without requiring a visa in advance. However, as travel restrictions ease, there are hopeful signs that lower-class passports are beginning to regain their influence. Indian passport holders now enjoy similar travel freedom to what they enjoyed before the pandemic, the report said, with unrestricted access to 57 destinations worldwide (compared to just 23 destinations in 2020). Due to the invasion of Ukraine, Russian passport holders are more cut off from the rest of the world than ever before. The index does not take into account temporary restrictions or airspace closures, so while the Russian passport currently ranks 50th on the index, with a visa-free or visa-free-on-arrival score of 119, the reality is that Russian citizens access to many of these destinations is effectively denied.
The best passports for July 2022 are:
- Japan (193 destinations)
- Singapore, South Korea (192 destinations)
- Germany, Spain (190 destinations)
- Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189 destinations)
- Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden (188 destinations)
- France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom (187 destinations)
- Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States (186 destinations)
- Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)
- Hungary (183 destinations)
- Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia (182 destinations)
The worst passports to own in July 2022
Several countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 40 or fewer countries. These include: 105. North Korea (40 destinations) 106. Nepal, Palestinian Territory (38 destinations) 107. Somalia (35 destinations) 108. Yemen (34 destinations) 109. Pakistan (32 destinations) 110. Syria (30 destinations) 111. Iraq (29 destinations) 112. Afghanistan (27 destinations)
Other indexes
Henley & Partner’s list is one of several indices created by financial firms to rank global passports according to the access they provide to their citizens. The Henley Passport Index ranks 199 passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. It is updated in real time throughout the year, as well as when visa policy changes come into effect. Arton Capital’s Passport Index takes into account the passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories — ROC Taiwan, Macau (SAR China), Hong Kong (SAR China), Kosovo, Palestinian Territory and the Vatican. Territories annexed to other countries are excluded. The 2022 index has the UAE in first place, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 171.
