10 most powerful passports in the world - do you have one?

Not every country provides the same access

Determining the top passports according to Henley

7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States, and Czechia

6. France, Ireland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom

5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden

10. Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, and Sudan

7. Nepal and the Palestinian territories

Not every country provides the same access

Owning a passport that can take you almost anywhere in the world is like winning the lottery. But not every country provides its citizens with greater mobility and freedom when traveling abroad, so do you have one of the best passports or one of the worst?

How do we judge passports?

Determining which passports are best is relatively easy. The London-based global migration consultancy firm Henley & Partners has been publishing a report on the world’s top passports for over 25 years.

So what does a good passport get you?

The best passports allow their holders to travel to most of the world’s countries without needing to first acquire a visa. This is what groups like Arton Capital’s Passport Index call a Mobility Score.

Ranking the best passports

Henley & Partners' don't use a mobility score but they do take visa-free travel into account when scoring passports. "If no visa is required," the Henley & Partners' website reads, "then a score with value = 1 is created for that passport." That's how Henly & Partners determine their rankings winners and losers.

The Henley Passport Index

“The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa,” as explained by Henley & Partners on their website.

Determining the top passports according to Henley

Henley & Partner’s Passport Index includes 199 different passports as well as 227 different locations. Plus, the consultancy group updates its rankings quarterly.

Henley is the best

“The Henley Passport Index is considered the standard reference tool for global citizens and sovereign states when assessing where a passport ranks on the global mobility spectrum,” according to the consultancy group.

So which country has the best passport?

So which country does Henley & Partners rank as the best, and which are the worst? The answers might surprise you! Here are the top ten best and worst passports for 2023.

10. Lithuania and Slovakia

Destinations: 183

9. Hungary and Poland

Destinations: 184

8. Australia, Canada, Greece, and Malta

Destinations: 185

7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States, and Czechia

Destinations: 186

6. France, Ireland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom

Destinations: 187

5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden

Destinations: 188

4. Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg

Destinations: 189

3. Germany and Spain

Destinations: 190

2. Singapore and South Korea

Destinations: 192

1. Japan

Destinations: 193

The best passport in context

It's no surprise that most of the world's best passports are tied to countries that have the largest global GDP numbers. But it is important to note that not all passport ranking indexes agree. Arton Capital's Passport Index ranks the United Arab Emirates as the world's most powerful passport even though its passport only has access to 122 visa-free destinations.

So which countries are the worst?

Guessing the countries with the 10 worst passports is a little easier than guessing the 10 best. But we think you'll still be surprised by some of the passports on this list.

10. Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, and Sudan

Destinations: 42

Ranking: 184

9. Bangladesh, Kosovo, and Libya

Destinations: 41

Ranking: 188

8. North Korea

Destinations: 40

Ranking: 191

7. Nepal and the Palestinian territories

Destinations: 38

Ranking: 192