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The allure of a European, American, or, as the case may be, Japanese passport has caused more than a few people to swipe right on a Tinder prospect because of their ‘passport power’.

Travel is far more restricted these days, and for most of us, a trip ‘overseas’ is more likely to be a boat ride to Robben Island, than an international adventure.

As Travel+Leisure puts it: “As the surge in coronavirus cases continues to shut down borders and create lockdown around the globe, international travel remains a dream of the future.”

Which is why the 2021 Henley & Partners Passport Index’s quarterly update made sure to point out that its ranking of the most powerful passports in the world is based on its standard criteria, without taking temporary restrictions into consideration.

The Henley Passport Index is a ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

It’s based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most up-to-date database of travel information, and ongoing research by the team in the Henley & Partners Research Department.

Here are the top 10 best passports to hold in 2021.

Note that the number in brackets refers to the number of countries each country can visit visa-free or visa-on-arrival.

1. Japan (191)
2. Singapore (190)
3. South Korea, Germany (189)
4. Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg (188)
5. Denmark, Austria (187)
6. Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland (186)
7. Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand (185)
8. Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, Australia (184)
9. Canada (183)
10. Hungary (181)

America has levelled up from eighth place in last year’s index to seventh, alongside the UK this year, but that isn’t necessarily an accurate reflection of the times.

Temporary travel restrictions related to travel (at the time of writing) mean that in reality, US passport holders are currently able to travel to fewer than 75 destinations, while UK passport holders have access to fewer than 70.

Which brings us to the worst passports to hold according to Henley, which include North Korea (coming in at 103, with 39 visa-free or visa-on-arrival countries), but that’s the least of its citizens’ problems.

Hot on their heels is Libya and Nepal at 104 (both with 38).

To jump to the very bottom of the list, the world’s worst passport comes from Afghanistan, with only 26 visa-free or visa-on-arrival countries to its name.

Some good and largely unexpected news – South Africa is sitting at 54 alongside Belize with 101 countries to visit. That’s two up from last year’s ranking of 56.

Not bad.

Check out the full list here.

[sources:henley&travelleisure]