The Henley Passport Index is out for Q4 of 2021, and the advisory firm’s analysts say it revels the “widest global mobility gap in the index’s 16-year history”
The report suggests this is due to stringent barriers to entry imposed by many countries since the start of the pandemic.
Japan, topping the list along with Singapore, is a relevant example permitting passport-holders to travel visa-free to 192 destination but barring almost all foreign nationals from entry.
Based on data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) the Henley Passport Index compares the visa-free access provided by 199 different passports across 227 travel destinations.
But the list featuring the most travel-friendly passports in descending order, does not take into account temporary travel restrictions due to COVID-19.
The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker collates live data on indicators including travel bans to evaluate response stringency on a 0-100 scale Source: Oxford University
The global mobility gap, the report states, is at its widest point ever, with countries like Australia that feature in the Top 10 of the index having some of the strictest restrictions for inbound travel.
Many countries in the global south have relaxed their borders in a concerted effort to revive their economies but there has been very little reciprocity from countries in the global north, which have enforced some of the most stringent inbound Covid-19-related travel restrictions.
European countries rule the top 20, while Greece has moved one place up since the previous ranking leaving Australia behind on no.8 with Canada.
The top 10 most powerful passports according to the 2021 Q4 index are
1. Japan, Singapore (192 destinations)2. South Korea, Germany (190)
3. Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg (189)
4. Denmark, Austria (188)
5. Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland (187)
6. Switzerland, Belgium, New Zealand (186)
7. United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Greece, Malta, Czech Republic (185)
8. Australia, Canada (184)
9. Hungary (183)
10. Slovakia (182)
