2021 Henley Passport Index: Rankings belie pandemic restrictions on freedom of movement

2021 Henley Passport Index: Rankings belie
pandemic restrictions on freedom of movement
INTERNATIONAL. With the term ‘passport power’ currently taking on a very different meaning in the face of
the pandemic, the latest Henley Passport Index has been published. For the third consecutive year, Japan holds
the top spot in the table of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can
access without a prior visa.

The rankings – compiled by the UK-based residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners – see
Singapore in second place, with the 190 destinations its passport holders have access to standing at one fewer
than Japan (191). These numbers do not take into account the temporary restrictions placed on freedom of
movement by governments due to COVID-19.

The world’s top ten passports, ranked according to the number of
destinations their holders can access without a prior visa

South Korea occupies third position alongside Germany (both 189), with the top ten rounded out by six

European countries.

Asia Pacific (APAC) region countries’ dominance of the index — which is based on exclusive data from the
International Air Transport Association (IATA) — now appears to be firmly established.

The ascendance of APAC countries in the passport index rankings is a relatively new phenomenon. Over the
index’s 16-year history, the top spots were traditionally held by EU countries, the UK, or the US. Experts
suggest that the APAC region’s position of strength will continue as it includes some of the first countries to
begin the process of recovering from the pandemic.

      “Even for still-powerful passports such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and members of the
      EU, additional protocols will be required to re-attain relatively frictionless mobility” – Future
      Map Founder and Managing Partner Dr. Parag Khanna

With the US and the UK (both 185 prior visa-free destinations) still facing significant challenges related to the
virus, and the passport strength of both countries continuing to steadily erode, Henley & Partners noted that the
balance of power is shifting. Over the past seven years, the US passport has fallen from the number one spot to
joint 16th place, a position it currently shares with the UK and four other countries.

Travellers from both the UK and the US currently face major restrictions from over 105 countries due to
pandemic-related travel constraints, with US passport holders able to travel to fewer than 75 destinations, while
UK passport holders currently have access to under 70.

The 2021 Henley Passport Index in full, featuring the passport strength of 199 countries (click to enlarge)

Henley & Partners Chairman Dr. Christian Kaelin – creator of the passport index concept – said that the latest
ranking provides an opportunity to reflect on the “extraordinary upheaval that characterised 2020”.

He added: “Just a year ago all indications were that the rates of global mobility would continue to rise, that
travel freedom would increase, and that holders of powerful passports would enjoy more access than ever before.

The UAE passport has made a meteoric rise up the
Henley Passport Index since the inaugural table
was published in 2006

“The global lockdown negated these glowing projections, and as restrictions begin to lift, the results from the
latest index are a reminder of what passport power really means in a world upended by the pandemic.”

Experts suggest that in terms of future global mobility, we cannot expect a return to pre-pandemic patterns.
Bestselling author Dr. Parag Khanna (The Future Is Asian) and the Founder and Managing Partner of
FutureMap in Singapore said that the system will not simply revert to what it was, and that nationality alone will
no longer suffice to guarantee safe passage. “Even for still-powerful passports such as Japan, Singapore, South
Korea, and members of the EU, additional protocols will be required to re-attain relatively frictionless mobility.”

There were relatively few high-profile visa agreements between countries during 2020 for obvious reasons, with
the notable exception of the UAE, which has continued its sustained ascent up the index. The country signed
several mutually reciprocated visa-waiver agreements last year, including a landmark US-brokered agreement
establishing formal ties with Israel and granting citizens of each country visa-free access to the other.

The UAE now has a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 173 and holds 40th spot in the table. In the first year of
the index in 2006, the country had a no prior visa total of just 35.

NOTE 1: Last year’s full passport rankings list can be viewed here.

NOTE 2: For the purposes of our story here, we rate the UK’s position in the ranking as joint 16th place as
opposed to the joint seventh place cited by Henley & Partners in its standings. Our numerical interpretation is
the UK’s actual position in the ranking. Similarly, we rate the UAE as holding equal 40th place, as opposed to
joint 16th; and China in equal 117th place as opposed to joint 70th. See table above.