Republic of China passports ranked as the 32nd-most “powerful,” as its holders have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 146 destinations, a survey released on Tuesday by London-based Henley & Partners showed.
Taiwan fell one spot on the list from the previous quarter, but remained ahead of China at No. 72 with accessibility to 71 destinations, the Henley Passport Index showed.
Japan topped the list for the third consecutive year with access to 191 destinations, followed by Singapore in second place with 190 destinations, and South Korea and Germany in third with 189, the survey showed.
Italy and Finland held the fourth position (188 destinations), while Spain, Luxembourg and Denmark shared fifth place (187) and Sweden and France were sixth (186), it showed.
Completing the top 10 were Switzerland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Ireland and Austria at seventh (185); the US, UK, Norway, Greece and Belgium at eighth (184); New Zealand, Malta, the Czech Republic, Canada and Australia at ninth (183); and Slovakia, Lithuania and Hungary at 10th (181).
At the bottom of the list was Afghanistan, with its passport holders allowed access to only 26 countries and territories, it showed.
Henley & Partners chairman Christian Kalin, who created the passport index, said the latest ranking provides a fascinating insight into a rapidly changing world.
“Asian countries’ dominance of the top spots is a clear argument for the benefits of open-door policies and the introduction of mutually beneficial trade agreements,” he said.
“Over the past few years, we have seen the world adapt to mobility as a permanent condition of global life. The latest rankings show that the countries that embrace this reality are thriving, with their citizens enjoying ever-increasing passport power and the array of benefits that come with it,” he added.
The index, one of several created by financial firms to rank global passports, is based on International Air Transport Association data and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations.
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