New data links rankings of the world’s most powerful passports with greater well-being for visitors and residents
A passport is more than permission to travel across borders: holders of the world’s most powerful documents have access to different ways of living. New data reveals not only which passports grant access to most countries, but also where you can find a better quality of life.
The recently released Henley Passport Index and Arton Capital’s Passport Index evaluate, in different ways, which are the most powerful passports in the world – that is, which ones offer free access to the greatest number of nations, without the need for a visa. The Global Citizen Index has just launched an index that crosses these most valuable passports with their ability to offer the best quality of life, measuring political freedom, cost of living, sustainability and social well-being (the Quality of Life Index).
All indices agree that many European countries offer high global mobility and a good quality of life for visitors (and residents).
Of the top 15 in the Quality of Life Index, 13 countries are European: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, Spain, New Zealand, Norway, Luxembourg, Portugal, Iceland and Canada.
Similarly, the Henley Passport Index’s annual survey of the world’s most powerful passports ranked many of these European countries highly. In 1st place: France, Germany, Italy and Spain, tied with Singapore and Japan, where holders can visit 194 destinations without a visa. South Korea, Finland and Sweden were in 2nd position, with 193 destinations. Already in 3rd place, Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands, with 192 destinations.
It is evident from the Henley Index that the gap between countries is increasing year after year, increasingly distancing the most and least powerful passports in the world. Afghanistan, in last position, guarantees the visit of only 28 countries without a visa.
While the UK and the US are still ranked highly on the Henley Index (the US is in 7th place and the UK has moved up two places to 4th), their power has diminished since they both held the top spot in 2014.
Meanwhile, Asian passports are gaining more and more influence.
This picture looks similar to data from Arton Capital’s recent Passport Index, which also examines the most powerful passports with slightly different variables. The index ranks the UAE first, followed by most European countries, similar to Henley — Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands ranked second.
The data was also in line with the Henley Index in that Asian countries saw some of the biggest gains in passport power. One of the biggest winners in Europe was Albania, whose passport became more powerful due to the increase in tourism.
Regardless of the index used to measure the power of passports, the 40 global elections scheduled for this year in countries that represent 50% of global GDP will have an impact on these rankings and on the quality of life in places that are tourist attractions. Therefore, there could be big changes for travelers in the coming years.
