SINGAPORE: The Republic has trumped five other countries to become the only one in the top spot in a world ranking of passports, with Singaporeans now enjoying visa-free entry to 195 out of 227 travel destinations.
According to the latest data published by the Henley Passport Index on Tuesday (July 23), the five countries – France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain – have dropped to second place, with visa-free entry to 192 destinations.
These countries and Singapore previously shared the top spot with visa-free entry to 194 out of 227 travel destinations, according to rankings published by Henley in January 2024.
The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.
In the latest rankings, an “unprecedented seven-nation cohort” occupies third spot with access to 191 destinations without a visa.
The countries are Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea and Sweden.
Former passport powerhouses Britain and the US have slid down the list since 2014, when they shared the joint top spot on the index.
Britain is fourth with 190 destinations, sharing the spot with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland. The US is eighth, with visa-free entry to 186 destinations.
Afghanistan’s passport retains its position as the world’s weakest, with its citizens having access to 26 countries visa-free.
The country lost visa-free access to one destination in the past six months, leaving it with the lowest score ever recorded since the index was created 19 years ago.
The Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association.
The general trend over the past two decades has been towards greater travel freedom, said Dr Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, and creator of the passport index concept.
The global average number of destinations that travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly 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,” said Kaelin.
The United Arab Emirates made it into the top 10 for the first time, with visa-free entry to 185 destinations, after having added 152 destinations to its portfolio since the index was created. – The Straits Times/ANN
