Singapore Claims Top Spot in Global Passport Freedom Ranking, While UK and US See Declines
[City, Date] – Singapore has once again secured the premier position in the latest global passport freedom ranking, according to exclusive data from Hengli Global Consulting Firm Co., Ltd., which analyzes travel accessibility in 227 countries and regions using International Air Transport Association (IATA) information. Holders of a Singaporean passport can now travel to an extraordinary 193 destinations without requiring a visa.
Tying for second place are Japan and South Korea, with citizens from both nations enjoying visa-free access to 190 destinations.
European countries dominate the upper echelons of the ranking, with seven European Union (EU) member states sharing the third spot. Citizens of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain can travel to 189 destinations without visa restrictions.
Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden are positioned at fourth place, offering visa-free travel to 188 destinations. Greece, Switzerland, and New Zealand round out the top five, tied for fifth place with access to 187 destinations.
at the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan ranks last, with its citizens able to travel visa-free to onyl 25 destinations, a stark contrast of 168 fewer destinations compared to Singapore.
The United Kingdom and the United States have experienced a notable decline in their passport rankings as January of this year. The UK passport has fallen by one place to sixth, offering 186 visa-free destinations, while the US passport has dropped to tenth, with 182 visa-free destinations. Both countries previously held the top positions in 2015 (UK) and 2014 (US).
Hengli Global consulting Firm highlighted that these shifts indicate a sustained downward trend for both the UK and the US. The firm also noted that the United States is facing a critical juncture and could possibly fall out of the top 10 for the first time in the 20-year history of the Hengli Passport Index.
In other regional rankings, Taiwan passports provide visa-free access to 139 countries and regions, placing it at 33rd. Hong Kong ranks 17th with 169 visa-free destinations, Macau is 31st with 144 destinations, and China is 60th with 83 visa-free destinations.
India has demonstrated important progress in the past six months,climbing from 85th to 77th place,with visa-free access to 59 countries and regions. Saudi Arabia has made the moast significant gains in the number of visa-free destinations added, increasing its total by four as January to 91, and moving up four places to 54th.(Translator: liu Wenyu/Reviewed Manuscript: Lu Yingzi)
