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Ranked: The World’s Most and Least Powerful Passports in 2023

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Ranked: The World’s Most and Least Powerful Passports

Depending on your passport, travel can be as simple as just booking flights, finding a hotel, and, then simply going.

But for many across the world, it’s not that easy—a number of passport holders need to obtain a travel/tourist visa prior to arrival. These visas typically require approval from the destination country’s government that can take weeks or months.

Japanese passport holders, for example, are able to visit 193 countries without pre-approval (nearly every country on Earth). Afghans, on the other hand, can only visit 27 countries with the same level of ease.

This ranking uses data from Henley & Partners, which determines the number of countries to which a passport holder has visa-free access.

The World’s Passports

First let’s look at every country’s position in the ranking in the table below:

RankPassportNumber of Countries Allowing Visa-Free Access
#1🇯🇵 Japan193
#1🇸🇬 Singapore193
#3🇰🇷 South Korea192
#4🇩🇪 Germany191
#4🇪🇸 Spain191
#6🇫🇮 Finland190
#6🇮🇹 Italy190
#6🇱🇺 Luxembourg190
#9🇦🇹 Austria189
#9🇩🇰 Denmark189
#9🇳🇱 Netherlands189
#9🇸🇪 Sweden189
#13🇫🇷 France188
#13🇮🇪 Ireland188
#13🇵🇹 Portugal188
#13🇬🇧 United Kingdom188
#17🇧🇪 Belgium187
#17🇨🇿 Czechia187
#17🇳🇿 New Zealand187
#17🇳🇴 Norway187
#17🇨🇭 Switzerland187
#17🇺🇸 United States187
#23🇦🇺 Australia186
#23🇨🇦 Canada186
#23🇬🇷 Greece186
#23🇲🇹 Malta186
#27🇭🇺 Hungary185
#27🇵🇱 Poland185
#29🇱🇹 Lithuania184
#29🇸🇰 Slovakia184
#31🇱🇻 Latvia183
#31🇸🇮 Slovenia183
#33🇪🇪 Estonia182
#34🇮🇸 Iceland181
#35🇲🇾 Malaysia180
#36🇱🇮 Liechtenstein179
#37🇨🇾 Cyprus178
#37🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates178
#39🇷🇴 Romania176
#40🇧🇬 Bulgaria175
#40🇨🇱 Chile175
#40🇭🇷 Croatia175
#40🇲🇨 Monaco175
#44🇭🇰 Hong Kong (SAR China)172
#45🇦🇷 Argentina171
#46🇧🇷 Brazil170
#46🇸🇲 San Marino170
#48🇦🇩 Andorra169
#49🇧🇳 Brunei167
#50🇧🇧 Barbados162
#51🇮🇱 Israel160
#51🇲🇽 Mexico160
#53🇰🇳 St. Kitts and Nevis156
#54🇧🇸 Bahamas155
#55🇻🇦 Vatican City154
#56🇸🇨 Seychelles153
#56🇺🇾 Uruguay153
#58🇻🇨 St. Vincent and the Grenadines151
#59🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda150
#59🇨🇷 Costa Rica150
#59🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago150
#62🇲🇺 Mauritius146
#63🇱🇨 St. Lucia146
#63🇹🇼 Taiwan 146
#65🇬🇩 Grenada145
#66🇩🇲 Dominica144
#66🇲🇴 Macao (SAR China)144
#66🇺🇦 Ukraine144
#69🇵🇦 Panama143
#70🇵🇾 Paraguay141
#71🇷🇸 Serbia137
#72🇵🇪 Peru136
#73🇨🇴 Colombia133
#73🇬🇹 Guatemala133
#73🇭🇳 Honduras133
#76🇸🇻 El Salvador132
#77🇼🇸 Samoa131
#77🇸🇧 Solomon Islands131
#79🇹🇴 Tonga129
#80🇻🇪 Venezuela128
#81🇳🇮 Nicaragua127
#81🇹🇻 Tuvalu127
#83🇲🇰 North Macedonia125
#84🇲🇪 Montenegro124
#85🇰🇮 Kiribati123
#86🇲🇭 Marshall Islands122
#87🇲🇩 Moldova120
#88🇵🇼 Palau Islands119
#89🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina118
#89🇫🇲 Micronesia118
#89🇷🇺 Russia118
#92🇦🇱 Albania115
#92🇬🇪 Georgia115
#94🇹🇷 Türkiye111
#95🇿🇦 South Africa106
#96🇧🇿 Belize102
#97🇶🇦 Qatar100
#98🇰🇼 Kuwait97
#98🇻🇺 Vanuatu97
#100🇹🇱 Timor-Leste94
#101🇪🇨 Ecuador92
#102🇲🇻 Maldives89
#102🇳🇷 Nauru89
#104🇧🇭 Bahrain87
#104🇫🇯 Fiji87
#104🇬🇾 Guyana87
#107🇧🇼 Botswana86
#107🇯🇲 Jamaica86
#109🇴🇲 Oman82
#109🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea82
#109🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia82
#112🇨🇳 China81
#113🇧🇾 Belarus79
#113🇧🇴 Bolivia79
#113🇹🇭 Thailand79
#116🇳🇦 Namibia78
#117🇱🇸 Lesotho77
#117🇸🇷 Suriname77
#119🇰🇿 Kazakhstan75
#120🇸🇿 Eswatini74
#121🇲🇼 Malawi73
#122🇮🇩 Indonesia72
#122🇰🇪 Kenya72
#124🇹🇿 Tanzania71
#124🇹🇳 Tunisia71
#126🇩🇴 Dominican Republic70
#126🇿🇲 Zambia70
#128🇦🇿 Azerbaijan69
#129🇬🇲 The Gambia68
#130🇵🇭 Philippines67
#131🇺🇬 Uganda66
#132🇦🇲 Armenia65
#132🇨🇻 Cape Verde Islands65
#132🇲🇦 Morocco65
#132🇿🇼 Zimbabwe65
#136🇨🇺 Cuba64
#136🇬🇭 Ghana64
#136🇸🇱 Sierra Leone64
#139🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan63
#140🇲🇳 Mongolia61
#140🇲🇿 Mozambique61
#142🇧🇯 Benin60
#142🇮🇳 India60
#142🇷🇼 Rwanda60
#145🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe59
#145🇹🇯 Tajikistan59
#145🇺🇿 Uzbekistan59
#148🇲🇷 Mauritania58
#149🇧🇫 Burkina Faso57
#150🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire56
#150🇬🇦 Gabon56
#150🇸🇳 Senegal56
#153🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea55
#153🇬🇳 Guinea55
#153🇻🇳 Vietnam55
#156🇰🇭 Cambodia54
#156🇲🇬 Madagascar54
#156🇹🇬 Togo54
#159🇪🇬 Egypt53
#159🇯🇴 Jordan53
#159🇲🇱 Mali53
#159🇳🇪 Niger53
#163🇩🇿 Algeria52
#163🇧🇹 Bhutan52
#163🇨🇫 Central African Republic52
#163🇹🇩 Chad52
#163🇰🇲 Comoros52
#163🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau52
#163🇹🇲 Turkmenistan52
#170🇨🇲 Cameroon51
#171🇦🇴 Angola50
#171🇱🇦 Laos50
#173🇧🇮 Burundi49
#173🇨🇬 Congo (Rep.)49
#173🇱🇷 Liberia49
#176🇩🇯 Djibouti48
#176🇭🇹 Haiti48
#178🇲🇲 Myanmar47
#179🇪🇹 Ethiopia46
#179🇳🇬 Nigeria46
#181🇪🇷 Eritrea44
#181🇮🇷 Iran44
#181🇸🇸 South Sudan44
#184🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo 42
#184🇸🇩 Sudan42
#186🇽🇰 Kosovo41
#186🇱🇧 Lebanon41
#186🇱🇰 Sri Lanka41
#189🇧🇩 Bangladesh40
#189🇱🇾 Libya40
#189🇰🇵 North Korea40
#192🇵🇸 Palestine38
#193🇳🇵 Nepal37
#194🇸🇴 Somalia35
#195🇾🇪 Yemen34
#196🇵🇰 Pakistan32
#197🇸🇾 Syria30
#198🇮🇶 Iraq29
#199Afghanistan27

Visas are imposed by some countries to make it easier to track visitors, allowing a country to assess whether said passport-holder may be a risk for illegal immigration, crime, acts of terror, or covert surveillance.

For example, both Russia and China require American passport holders to obtain visas prior to travel, and vice versa.

The Most Powerful Passports

When it comes to the most powerful passports, most of the top 20 are issued by countries in Asia or Europe, with the exception of New Zealand and the United States.

Due to multiple ties in the rankings the U.S. technically ranks 17th, having visa-free access to 187 countries, on par with Norway, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

Ranking 66th, Ukraine’s passport has actually seen drastic improvement over the last decade, currently getting visa-free access to 144 countries. It has yet to be seen how this will change in the wake of the Russia/Ukraine conflict.

The Least Powerful Passports

Many of least powerful passports come out of war-torn and politically unstable nations. As visas for travel are typically required to counter illicit activity, these nations are often flagged whether justly or not.

One immediate standout among the least powerful passports is North Korea. The insular nation has visa-free access to 40 countries, ranking it above eight other passports on the list.

Most North Koreans who travel abroad do so only in extremely special circumstances for work, study, or athletic competitions. Leisure travel out of North Korea does not happen, but technically, North Koreans can visit countries like Haiti, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Palestine, and Kyrgyzstan, among others without a visa.

The Biggest Gainers & Losers Over Time

From a big picture standpoint, the world’s travelers have seen their access improve significantly over the last 10 years. If you’re a citizen of the UAE, for example, your prospects for visa-free travel have improved by 100+ countries over the last decade.

most and least powerful passports

Here’s a closer look at 15 countries with the greatest change in visa-free access:

RankCountry2013 Visa-Free Access2023 Visa-Free Access10 Year Change
#1🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates72178+106
#2🇨🇴 Colombia63133+70
#3🇺🇦 Ukraine77144+67
#4🇲🇩 Moldova59120+61
#5🇻🇨 St. Vincent and the Grenadines92151+59
#6🇩🇲 Dominica87144+57
#6🇬🇩 Grenada88145+57
#8🇵🇪 Peru80136+56
#9🇬🇪 Georgia60115+55
#10🇱🇨 St. Lucia94146+52
#11🇼🇸 Samoa81131+50
#11🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago100150+50
#13🇹🇴 Tonga80129+49
#14🇸🇧 Solomon Islands84131+47
#15🇭🇷 Croatia129175+46

On the other hand, other countries have fared poorly, with some actually losing access to destinations since 2013. Yemen and Syria are tied for first place, having lost visa-free access to nine countries over the last 10 years.

Here’s a look at 15 countries who experienced the biggest negative change:

RankCountry2013 Visa-Free Access2023 Visa-Free Access10 Year Change
#1🇾🇪 Yemen4334-9
#1🇸🇾 Syria3930-9
#3🇳🇬 Nigeria4846-2
#3🇮🇶 Iraq3129-2
#5🇰🇵 North Korea4140-1
#5🇧🇩 Bangladesh4140-1
#5🇦🇫 Afghanistan2827-1
#8🇻🇪 Venezuela1281280
#8🇬🇲 The Gambia68680
#8🇵🇰 Pakistan32320
#8🇳🇪 Niger53530
#8🇳🇵 Nepal37370
#8🇲🇱 Mali53530
#14🇹🇬 Togo5354+1
#14🇸🇱 Sierra Leone6364+1

Looking at the tables above, it’s apparent that the world has generally become more open in recent years.

Overall, the power of a passport is almost directly reflective of the political state of the world. World powers and rich nations typically have free flow of travel, but those facing instability or war are often also face barriers when wanting to go abroad.

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United States

How Much Do Americans Trust the Media?

Media trust among Americans has reached its lowest point since Trump won the 2016 presidential election.

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How Much Do Americans Trust the Media?

Media trust among Americans has reached its lowest point in six years.

Gallup began its survey on media trust in 1972, repeating it in 1974 and 1976. After a long period, the public opinion firm restarted the polls in 1997 and has asked Americans about their confidence level in the mass media—newspapers, TV, and radio—almost every year since then.

The above graphic illustrates Gallup’s latest poll results, conducted in September 2023.

Americans’ Trust in Mass Media, 1972-2023

Americans’ confidence in the mass media has sharply declined over the last few decades.

Trust in the mass media% Great deal/Fair amount% Not very much% None at all
197268246
197469218
197672224
1997533115
199855359
1999553411
2000513712
2001533314
2002543511
2003543511
2004443916
2005503712
2007473517
2008433521
2009453718
2010433621
2011443619
2012403921
2013443322
2014403624
2015403624
2016324127
2017412929
2018453024
2019413028
2020402733
2021362934
2022342838
2023322939

In 2016, the number of respondents trusting media outlets fell below the tally of those who didn’t trust the media at all. This is the first time that has happened in the poll’s history.

That year was marked by sharp criticism of the media from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

In 2017, the use of the term ‘fake news’ rose by 365% on social media, and the term was named the word of the year by dictionary publisher Collins.

The Lack of Faith in Institutions and Social Media

Although there’s no single reason to explain the decline of trust in the traditional media, some studies point to potential drivers.

According to Michael Schudson, a sociologist and historian of the news media and a professor at the Columbia Journalism School, in the 1970s, faith in institutions like the White House or Congress began to decline, consequently impacting confidence in the media.

“That may have been a necessary corrective to a sense of complacency that had been creeping in—among the public and the news media—that allowed perhaps too much trust: we accepted President Eisenhower’s lies about the U-2 spy plane, President Kennedy’s lies about the ‘missile gap,’ President Johnson’s lies about the war in Vietnam, President Nixon’s lies about Watergate,”
Michael Schudson – Columbia Journalism School

More recently, the internet and social media have significantly changed how people consume media. The rise of platforms such as X/Twitter and Facebook have also disrupted the traditional media status quo.

Partisans’ Trust in Mass Media

Historically, Democrats have expressed more confidence in the media than Republicans.

Democrats’ trust, however, has fallen 12 points over the past year to 58%, compared with 11% among Republicans and 29% among independents.

How-Much-Do-Americans-Trust-the-Media

According to Gallup, Republicans’ low confidence in the media has little room to worsen, but Democrat confidence could still deteriorate and bring the overall national reading down further.

The poll also shows that young Democrats have less confidence in the media than older Democrats, while Republicans are less varied in their views by age group.

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