The World's Most Powerful Passports for 2023

Asian countries continue to dominate the list of the most powerful passports in 2023, with Japanese citizens enjoying the most freedom with visa-free or visa-on-demand access to a remarkable 193 destinations around the world.

Japan climbed from second in 2022 to first this year, according to the latest Henley Passport Index from London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, which is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

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Singapore and South Korea (192) also remain among the most powerful, tying for second. Europe features prominently in the top 10 as well, with Germany and Spain tying for third-most powerful at 190 destinations, followed by Finland, Italy and Luxembourg (189).

Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden are tied for fifth (188), while France, Ireland, Portugal and the U.K. are in a deadlock for the world's sixth-most powerful travel document this year (187).

The U.S. passport is one of the world's most powerful outside of Asia or Europe, tying Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the Czech Republic with visa-free or visa-on-demand access to as many as 186 destinations.

On the flip side, a handful of familiar countries rank among the worst for citizens with intentions of traveling abroad. Afghanistan (27 destinations) ranks last, with Iraq (29), Syria (30), Pakistan (32), Yemen (34), Somalia (35), Nepal (38), Palestinian territory (38) and North Korea (40) also rounding out the bottom.

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