Global Passport Ranking, 2023 - CEOWORLD magazine (2024)

The Global Passport Index: The World’s Most Powerful Passports, 2023:With a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 193, Japan is issuing the globe’s best passports in 2023, according to the CEOWORLD magazine. Singapore and South Korea are tied for 2nd place, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 192. The Global Passport Index ranks the world’s passports by the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

Spain and Germany are joint 3rd, with visa-free access to 190 destinations. The United States passport ranked seventh with Belgium, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland. All of the countries offer citizens visa-free visits to 187 countries.

The Global Passport Index: The World’s Most Powerful Passports, 2023:The lowest-ranking entry in the Global Passport Index is the Afghan passport, which provides visa-free access to only 27 countries. Citizens of the index’s lowest-ranking countries – including Iraq (visa-free score of 29), Syria (visa-free score of 30), and Pakistan (visa-free score of 32) – are being shut out of many opportunities for economic mobility and growth.

The most powerful passports in the world in 2023

Rank	Passport	Score
1	Japan	193
2	Singapore	192
2	South Korea	192
3	Germany	191
3	Spain	191
4	Finland	190
4	Italy	190
4	Luxembourg	190
5	Austria	189
5	Denmark	189
5	Netherlands	189
5	Sweden	189
6	France	188
6	Ireland	188
6	Portugal	188
6	United Kingdom	188
7	Belgium	187
7	Czech Republic	187
7	New Zealand	187
7	Norway	187
7	Switzerland	187
7	United States	187
8	Australia	186
8	Canada	186
8	Greece	186
8	Malta	186
9	Hungary	185
9	Poland	185
10	Lithuania	184
10	Slovakia	184
11	Latvia	183
11	Slovenia	183
12	Estonia	182
13	Iceland	181
14	Malaysia	180
15	Liechtenstein	179
16	Cyprus	178
16	United Arab Emirates	178
17	Romania	176
18	Bulgaria	175
18	Chile	175
18	Croatia	175
18	Monaco	175
19	Hong Kong	172
20	Argentina	171
21	Brazil	170
21	San Marino	170
22	Andorra	169
23	Brunei	167
24	Barbados	162
25	Israel	160
25	Mexico	160
26	St. Kitts and Nevis	156
27	Bahamas	155
28	Vatican City	154
29	Seychelles	153
29	Uruguay	153
30	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	151
31	Antigua and Barbuda	150
31	Costa Rica	150
31	Trinidad and Tobago	150
32	Mauritius	146
32	St. Lucia	146
32	Taiwan	146
33	Grenada	145
34	Dominica	144
34	Macao	144
34	Ukraine	144
35	Panama	143
36	Paraguay	141
37	Serbia	137
38	Peru	136
39	Colombia	133
39	Guatemala	133
39	Honduras	133
40	El Salvador	132
41	Samoa	131
41	Solomon Islands	131
42	Tonga	129
43	Venezuela	128
44	Nicaragua	127
44	Tuvalu	127
45	North Macedonia	125
46	Montenegro	124
47	Kiribati	123
48	Marshall Islands	122
49	Moldova	120
50	Palau Islands	119
51	Bosnia and Herzegovina	118
51	Micronesia	118
51	Russia	118
52	Albania	116
53	Georgia	115
54	Turkey	111
55	South Africa	106
56	Belize	102
57	Qatar	100
58	Kuwait	97
58	Vanuatu	97
59	Timor Leste	94
60	Ecuador	92
61	Maldives	90
62	Nauru	89
63	Bahrain	87
63	Fiji	87
63	Guyana	87
64	Botswana	86
64	Jamaica	86
65	Oman	82
65	Papua New Guinea	82
65	Saudi Arabia	82
66	China	81
67	Belarus	79
67	Bolivia	79
67	Thailand	79
68	Namibia	78
69	Lesotho	77
69	Suriname	77
70	Kazakhstan	75
71	eSwatini	74
72	Malawi	73
73	Indonesia	72
73	Kenya	72
74	Tanzania	71
74	Tunisia	71
75	Dominican Republic	70
75	Zambia	70
78	Azerbaijan	69
79	Gambia	68
80	Philippines	67
81	Uganda	66
82	Armenia	65
82	Cape Verde Islands	65
82	Morocco	65
82	Zimbabwe	65
83	Cuba	64
83	Ghana	64
83	Sierra Leone	64
85	Kyrgyzstan	63
85	Mongolia	61
85	Mozambique	61
86	Benin	60
86	India	60
86	Rwanda	60
87	Sao Tome and Principe	59
87	Tajikistan	59
87	Uzbekistan	59
88	Mauritania	58
89	Burkina Faso	57
90	Cote dIvoire	56
90	Gabon	56
90	Senegal	56
91	Equatorial Guinea	55
91	Guinea	55
91	Vietnam	55
92	Cambodia	54
92	Madagascar	54
92	Togo	54
93	Egypt	53
93	Jordan	53
93	Mali	53
93	Niger	53
94	Algeria	52
94	Bhutan	52
94	Central African Republic	52
94	Chad	52
94	Comoro Islands	52
94	Guinea Bissau	52
96	Turkmenistan	51
96	Cameroon	51
97	Angola	50
97	Laos	50
98	Burundi	49
98	Congo (Rep.)	49
98	Liberia	49
99	Djibouti	48
99	Haiti	48
100	Myanmar	47
101	Ethiopia	46
101	Nigeria	46
102	Eritrea	44
102	Iran	44
102	South Sudan	44
103	Congo (Dem. Rep.)	42
103	Sudan	42
104	Kosovo	41
104	Lebanon	41
104	Sri Lanka	41
105	Bangladesh	40
105	Libya	40
105	North Korea	40
106	Palestinian Territory	38
107	Nepal	37
108	Somalia	35
109	Yemen	34
110	Pakistan	32
111	Syria	30
112	Iraq	29
113	Afghanistan	27

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Global Passport Index: The World’s Most Powerful Passports, 2023

1. Passport Power & Visa-Free/Visa-on-Arrival Scores:
The Global Passport Index ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without needing a visa or with visa-on-arrival privileges. This metric provides an indication of a country's global mobility and diplomatic relations.

2. Top-ranking Passports:

Japan (Score: 193): Offers its citizens the most extensive visa-free or visa-on-arrival access, making it the top-ranking passport in 2023.
Singapore and South Korea (Score: 192): Tied for the second position, these countries offer near-universal access to global destinations without a visa.
Germany and Spain (Score: 191): These countries are joint third, closely following the top-ranking nations, with their citizens enjoying visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations.

3. Notable Mentions:
The United States ranks seventh, along with Belgium, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, with a score of 187, highlighting the extensive travel opportunities available to U.S. passport holders.

4. Low-ranking Passports:

Afghanistan (Score: 27): Holds the lowest rank on the index, limiting its passport holders' travel opportunities significantly.
Other Low-ranking Countries: Countries like Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan have visa-free scores ranging from 29 to 32, indicating restricted global mobility for their citizens.

5. Implications:
A country's passport ranking has implications for its citizens in terms of economic opportunities, travel freedoms, and diplomatic relations. Higher-ranking passports offer more extensive opportunities for economic mobility, business expansion, tourism, and cultural exchange.

Additional Insights:

Economic Mobility: Individuals holding passports from higher-ranking countries can access more opportunities for economic growth, employment, and investment globally.
Diplomatic Relations: Passport rankings can reflect a country's diplomatic relations and international standing. Countries with higher-ranking passports often have strong diplomatic ties and favorable international relations.
Travel and Tourism: Passport strength influences travel and tourism patterns, with citizens from top-ranking countries enjoying hassle-free travel experiences, leading to increased tourism and business activities.

In summary, the Global Passport Index serves as a valuable tool for understanding the global mobility landscape, highlighting the varying degrees of travel freedoms and opportunities available to citizens worldwide based on their passport's strength and ranking.