The Japanese passport is no longer No. 1, according to Henley & Partners in its global ranking of travel documents in terms of visa-free access.
It gets travelers into 192 jurisdictions with minimal entry formalities, second to 195 for Singapore¡¯s passport, out of a total 227 countries and territories.
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, sometimes sharing that spot with Singapore, before being dethroned by the Southeast Asian nation on the 2024 list.
This year, it shares the No. 2 spot with Italy, France, Germany and Spain. According to Henley, Japan lost access to Togo and Gabon, while Singapore also lost Togo, but gained visa-free access to Gabon and Guyana.
The London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm has published the index annually since 2006. The list is based on data from the International Air Transport Association.
In the first ranking almost 20 years ago, Japan was third. Its worst placement ever was sixth, in 2010, 2016 and 2017.
Countries and territories that allow visa-free access for Singapore passport holders but not Japanese passport holders are: Benin, Burkina Faso, China, Cote d¡¯Ivoire, Cuba, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, The Gambia and Uganda.
Countries and territories that allow visa-free access for Japanese passports holders but not Singapore passport holders are: Falkland Islands, India, Iraq, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Ukraine and Venezuela.
On this year¡¯s list, China moved up the rankings considerably, from 94th in 2015 to 59th in 2024. Holders of passports issued by the country have visa-free access to 85 destinations globally.
A passport from the United Arab Emirates went from 65th in 2010 to No. 9 in 2024.
The biggest decliners include Venezuela, Yemen and Nigeria.
In the 2024 rankings, the United States is eighth, with visa-free access to 186 countries and territories, and the United Kingdom is No. 4, with access to 190.
Afghanistan has the least powerful passport of all the places ranked. Holders of its travel document get visa-free travel to 26 countries, including Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Madagascar.
It is the lowest score since the list was first compiled.
Henley & Partners chair Christian Kaelin said in a statement that the average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has close to doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024.
¡°However, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than it has ever been, with top-ranked Singapore able to access a record-breaking 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan,¡± Kaelin said.
On the Henley Openness Index, which lists countries by the number of passports to which they allow visa-free access, Japan ranks 66th. It allows visa-free access to passport holders from 70 countries and territories.
Singapore is No. 15, allowing visitors from 164 jurisdictions to enter without first getting a visa.
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