The bill, which was approved by the cabinet on Wednesday, provides for the simplification of naturalisation. and will make dual citizenship possible in principle/ Photo: Femi Awoniyi

The world’s most powerful passports for 2021 named

The annual Henley Passport Index has just been released. It ranks passports according to the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free. The latest ranking named Japan as the country with the most powerful passport in the world followed by Singapore while Germany and South Korea tie for third place

Holders of the Japanese passport can travel visa-free or have visa-on-arrival access to about 191 destinations around the world. Singaporeans enjoy visa-free access to 190 countries while Germans and South Koreans can travel to 189 countries without a prior visa.

Here are the top 10 passports, according to the Henley Passport Index, for 2021:

1. Japan (191 destinations)
2. Singapore (190)
3. South Korea, Germany (189)
4. Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg (188)
5. Denmark, Austria (187)
6. Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland (186)
7. Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand (185)
8. Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, Australia (184)
9. Canada (183)
10. Hungary (181)

The worst passports to hold

Several countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to fewer than 40 countries. These include:
103. North Korea (39 destinations)
104. Libya, Nepal (38)
105. Palestinian territories (37)
106. Somalia, Yemen (33)
107. Pakistan (32)
108. Syria (29)
109. Iraq (28)
110. Afghanistan (26)
 

The Henley Passport Index, based on the exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks the world’s passports according to how many countries can travel to without a prior visa.

IATA maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information.

To find out how many countries you can travel visa-free to with your passport, click here.

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