Japan Leads 2021 World’s Passports, Nigeria 97th (Full list)

Japan leads 2021 world’s passports, Nigeria 97th [Full list]

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that Japan maintains its lead into 2021 as the world’s most powerful passport.

The Asian giant has held the top spot since 2018.

The Henley Passport Index released the ranking on Tuesday.

The passports were rated according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

Japan passport holders are able to access 191 destinations around the world visa-free.

Singapore, joint number one in 2019, currently has the second most desirable passport on earth with access to 190 destinations.

South Korea and Germany have a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 189.

The classification based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) affirmed Asia Pacific (APAC) countries’ dominance.

Experts say the APAC region’s strength will continue as it includes nations with quick recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

Before now, in the index’s 16-year history, European Union countries, the United Kingdom, or the United States, held the top spots.

Over the past seven years, the U.S. passport has dropped from the uppermost to 7th place. The U.K. is presently on the same rank.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, sits in 97th position.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, noted that the current standing ranking provides an opportunity to reflect on the upheaval that characterized 2020.

“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 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”, said Kaelin, the passport index inventor.

Countries, ranking and destinations:

Japan 1 – 191

Singapore 2 – 190

South Korea 3 – 189

Germany 3 – 189

Italy 4 – 188

Finland 4 – 188

Spain 4 – 188

Luxembourg 4 – 188

Denmark 5 – 187

Austria 5 – 187

Sweden 6 – 186

France 6 – 186

Portugal 6 – 186

Netherlands 6 – 186

Ireland 6 – 186

Switzerland 7 – 185

United States 7 – 185

United Kingdom 7 – 185

Norway 7 – 185

Belgium 7 – 185

New Zealand 7 – 185

Greece 8 – 184

Malta 8 – 184

Czech Republic 8 – 184

Australia 8 – 184

Canada 9 – 183

Hungary 10 – 182

Slovakia 11 – 181

Lithuania 11 – 181

Iceland 11 – 181

Poland 11 – 181

Slovenia 12 – 180

Latvia 12 – 180

Estonia 13 – 179

Malaysia 14 – 178

Liechtenstein 14 – 178

Monaco 15 – 174

Cyprus 15 – 174

Chile 15 – 174

United Arab Emirates 16 – 173

Romania 17 – 172

Bulgaria 18 – 171

Croatia 18 – 171

Brazil 19 – 170

Argentina 19 – 170

Hong Kong (SAR China) 19 – 170

San Marino 20 – 168

Andorra 21 – 167

Brunei 22 – 166

Barbados 23 – 161

Israel 23 – 161

Mexico 24 – 159

St. Kitts and Nevis 25 – 156

Bahamas 26 – 155

Uruguay 27 – 153

Vatican City 27 – 153

Seychelles 28 – 151

Antigua and Barbuda 28 – 151

Trinidad and Tobago 29 – 150

Costa Rica 29 – 150

St. Vincent and the Grenadines 30 – 148

Mauritius 31 – 146

St. Lucia 31 – 146

Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) 32 – 145

Macao (SAR China) 33 – 144

Grenada 33 – 144

Dominica 34 – 143

Panama 35 – 142

Paraguay 36 – 141

Peru 37 – 135

Serbia 38 – 134

Honduras 38 – 134

El Salvador 38 – 134

Guatemala 39 – 133

Solomon Islands 40 – 131

Samoa 40 – 131

Vanuatu 41 – 130

Ukraine 41 – 130

Venezuela 42 – 129

Nicaragua 42 – 129

Colombia 42 – 129

Tuvalu 43 – 127

Tonga 44 – 125

Montenegro 45 – 124

North Macedonia 45 – 124

Marshall Islands 46 -123

Kiribati 46 – 123

Moldova 47 – 120

Palau Islands 47 – 120

Micronesia 48 – 118

Bosnia and Herzegovina 49 – 117

Russian Federation 50 – 116

Georgia 51 – 115

Albania 52 – 114

Turkey 53 – 110

South Africa 54 – 101

Belize 54 – 101

Kuwait 55 – 96

Qatar 56 – 95

Timor-Leste 57 – 94

Ecuador 58 – 92

Nauru 59 – 89

Guyana 60 – 88

Fiji 60 – 88

Jamaica 61 – 86

Maldives 62 – 85

Botswana 62 – 85

Papua New Guinea 63 – 84

Bahrain 64 – 83

Oman 65 – 80

Thailand 66 – 79

Saudi Arabia 66 – 79

Suriname 67 – 78

Bolivia 67 – 78

Namibia 68 – 77

Lesotho 69 – 76

Kazakhstan 70 – 75

Belarus 70 – 75

China 70 – 75

Eswatini (Swaziland) 71 – 74

Malawi 72 – 73

Kenya 73 – 72

Indonesia 74 – 71

Zambia 74 – 71

Tanzania 74 – 71

Tunisia 74 – 71

Gambia 75 – 68

Azerbaijan 76 – 67

Uganda 76 – 67

Philippines 77 – 66

Cape Verde Islands 77 – 66

Dominican Republic 77 – 66

Ghana 78 – 65

Zimbabwe 78 – 65

Cuba 79 – 64

Morocco 79 – 64

Sierra Leone 80 – 63

Kyrgyzstan 80 – 63

Armenia 80 – 63

Mongolia 81 – 62

Benin 81 – 62

Mozambique 81 – 62

Sao Tome and Principe 82 – 61

Rwanda 83 – 60

Burkina Faso 84 – 59

Mauritania 84 – 59

Tajikistan 85 – 58

India 85 – 58

Uzbekistan 86 – 57

Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 86 – 57

Gabon 86 – 57

Senegal 87 – 56

Togo 88 – 55

Guinea 88 – 55

Madagascar 88 – 55

Equatorial Guinea 88 – 55

Vietnam 89 – 54

Niger 89 – 54

Mali 89 – 54

Cambodia 89 – 54

Guinea-Bissau 90 – 53

Comoro Islands 90 – 53

Chad 90 – 53

Bhutan 90 – 53

Turkmenistan 90 – 53

Central African Republic 91 – 52

Jordan 92 – 51

Algeria 92 – 51

Laos 93 – 50

Egypt 93 – 50

Burundi 93 – 50

Angola 93 – 50

Liberia 94 – 49

Haiti 94 – 49

Cameroon 94 – 49

Congo (Rep.) 95 – 48

Myanmar 96 – 47

Djibouti 96 – 47

Nigeria 97 – 46

Ethiopia 98 – 44

South Sudan 99 – 43

Sri Lanka 100 – 42

Eritrea 100 – 42

Congo (Dem. Rep.) 100 – 42

Iran 101 – 41

Bangladesh 101 – 41

Lebanon 102 – 40

Kosovo 102 – 40

Sudan 102 – 40

North Korea 103 – 39

Nepal 104 – 38

Libya 104 – 38

Palestine 105 – 37

Yemen 106 – 33

Somalia 106 – 33

Pakistan 107 – 32

Syria 108 – 29

Iraq 109 – 28

Afghanistan 110 – 26