VisaGuide.World Passport Index shows the world's most powerful passports in the current year

21-12-23

• Documents from 199 countries and territories were evaluated in a passport ranking system based on a number of factors.

The latest update of the VisaGuide.World Passport Index shows that the Spanish passport is currently the most powerful passport in the world according to its passport ranking system which evaluates and ranks passports based on several factors that determine their strength.  It is followed by the passports of Singapore, Germany, Italy and France, which make up the top five.

To achieve a final ranking, a Destination Significance Score (DSS) is assigned to each travel destination based on its passport entry policy, GDP, Energy Index, Tourism Index and Human Development Index (HDI), among other factors. The DSS is multiplied by the value of the destination country's visa requirement for selected passport holders.

The list of the 20 countries with the most powerful passports is as follows: Spain, Singapore, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic, Portugal, Hungary, Luxembourg, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and Poland making a total of 18 European Union and 2 Asian countries.

Once all the factors are calculated, each passport has its own unique value, and no two countries have the same number of "visa-free" destinations. Each destination is considered according to the following criteria: Gross Domestic Product (GDP): used to determine the "economic strength" of a country; Power Index, determines the strength, stability and global influence of a country; Tourism Index: the number of annual visitors and tourists to a country, used to determine the popularity of a given destination; and the Human Development Index (HDI): combination of attributes of a country's population, such as life expectancy, health, education and standard of living. It is used as a general measure of happiness and well-being of the population living in that country.