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Guess who comes out tops in the rankings of the world’s most travel-friendly passports?

I’ll give you a hint: sumo, sushi, and sencha.

According to the Henley Passport Index‘s latest rankings and analysis, Japan holds the most powerful passport in the world.

Without taking into account the temporary restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese passport offers visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 193 destinations around the world.

Taking into account the restrictions, Japanese passports holders actually have access to fewer than 80 destinations right now.

Per CNN, the pandemic has left a significant gulf between theoretical and actual travel access offered by even high-ranking passports.

The top 10 passports have basically stayed the same as we enter the second half of the year. Singapore has stayed in second place (with a score of 192, but in pandemic terms, 75 destinations), while South Korea and Germany are tied for third place (with a score of 191).

The US and the UK, which have steadily declined in passport power since coming out tops in 2014, are sticking together in seventh place on the index right now, alongside Switzerland, Belgium, and New Zealand.

US and UK passport holders are able to access 187 destinations around the world, but the reality is that doors are only open to their travellers in fewer than 61 and 60 countries respectively.

China and the United Arab Emirates started from the bottom and now they’re, well, almost at the top:

Since 2011, China has climbed 22 places — from 90th position to 68th — while the UAE has gone all the way from No. 65 to No. 15.

Its work on strengthening diplomatic ties around the world now means that its citizens are allowed easy access to 174 destinations, compared to the 67 destinations of a decade ago.

These are the more comprehensive rankings:

The best passports to hold in 2021 are:

1. Japan (193 destinations)
2. Singapore (192)
3. Germany, South Korea (191)
4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain (190)
5. Austria, Denmark (189)
6. France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden (188)
7. Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States (187)
8. Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway (186)
9. Australia, Canada (185)
10. Hungary (184)

Somewhere in the middle is South Africa, ranking at 57th, with 102 visa-free destinations available.

The worst passports to hold:

108. North Korea (39 destinations)
109. Nepal (38)
110. Palestinian territories (37)
111. Somalia (34)
112. Yemen (33)
113. Pakistan (32)
114. Syria (29)
115. Iraq (28)
116. Afghanistan (26)

The gap between the country at the top and the bottom (Japan and Afghanistan) is the widest since the index began, showing that the passport inequality gap may be getting worse.

[source:cnn]