q4 update october 2019 - henley passport index...6 the information provided here reflects the 2019...

The Henley Passport Index Q4 Update

October 2019

2 3The information provided here reflects the 2019 Henley Passport Index ranking on 1 October 2019.

Henley Passport Index Q4: October 2019

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View your passport ranking over 14 years

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Find out where you can travel visa-free

About the Henley Passport Index

The Henley Passport Index is the original and most authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, giving users the most extensive and reliable information about the global access their passport affords them. With historical data spanning 14 years and regularly updated expert analysis on the latest shifts in passport rankings, the index is an invaluable resource for global citizens and the standard reference tool for governments in this field.

Robust, reliable, and accurate

The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information, and enhanced by continuous research by the Henley & Partners Research Department.

The index’s scoring system was developed with the goal of giving users a nuanced, practical, and reliable overview of their passport’s power. Each passport is scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free. For each travel destination, if no visa is required for passport holders, then a score of 1 is created for that passport. This also applies if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) upon entry.

Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder must apply for a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) before departure, a score of 0 is assigned. The same applies if they need pre-departure approval for a visa on arrival.

Explore the worldAs well as allowing users to discover the strength of their own passports, henleypassportindex.com enables users to compare their passport to others, looking at differences in access and learning where their passport ranks regionally as well as globally. It also allows users to explore 14 years’ worth of historical data, discovering how the strength of their passport has changed over the years, and looking at top climbers and fallers on the index.

https://www.iata.org/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.iata.org/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.henleypassportindex.com/



Rank Passport Score

Egypt

Haiti

Jordan

Laos

93 Burundi 48

Liberia

94 Congo (Rep.) 47

95 Djibouti 46

Myanmar

Nigeria

96 Sri Lanka 43

97 Congo (Dem. Rep.) 42

Ethiopia

South Sudan

98 Kosovo 41

99 Bangladesh 40

Eritrea

Iran

100 Lebanon 39

North Korea

101 Nepal 38

102 Libya 37

Palestinian Territory

Sudan

103 Yemen 33

104 Pakistan 31

Somalia

105 Syria 29

106 Iraq 27

107 Afghanistan 25

34 Panama 140

35 Dominica 137

36 Peru 135

37 El Salvador 134

Honduras

38 Guatemala 132

Venezuela

39 Samoa 131

Serbia

40 Solomon Islands 130

Vanuatu

41 Nicaragua 128

42 Tuvalu 127

43 Colombia 126

Ukraine

44 Tonga 125

45 North Macedonia 123

46 Kiribati 122

Marshall Islands

Montenegro

47 Micronesia 119

Moldova

Palau Islands

48 Russian Federation 117

49 Bosnia and Herzegovina 116

50 Georgia 114

51 Albania 113

52 Turkey 112

53 South Africa 100

54 Belize 99

55 Timor-Leste 95

56 Kuwait 93

57 Qatar 92

58 Ecuador 91

Malaysia

13 Chile 174

Poland

14 Cyprus 173

Monaco

15 United Arab Emirates 172

16 Romania 171

17 Argentina 170

Brazil

Bulgaria

18 Croatia 168

Hong Kong (SAR China)

19 San Marino 167

20 Andorra 166

21 Brunei 165

22 Barbados 159

Israel

23 Mexico 158

24 Bahamas 154

St. Kitts and Nevis

25 Uruguay 153

26 Seychelles 151

27 Costa Rica 150

28 Antigua and Barbuda 149

29 Trinidad and Tobago 148

Vatican City

30 Mauritius 146

31 St. Lucia 145

St. Vincent and the

Grenadines

Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)

32 Grenada 142

Paraguay

33 Macao (SAR China) 141

79 Sierra Leone 63

80 Benin 62

Kyrgyzstan

Mongolia

Morocco

81 Armenia 60

Mozambique

Sao Tome and Principe

82 India 59

83 Burkina Faso 58

Mauritania

84 Cote d'Ivoire 57

Rwanda

Tajikistan

85 Gabon 56

Guinea

Uzbekistan

86 Senegal 55

Togo

87 Guinea-Bissau 54

Madagascar

Mali

Niger

88 Cambodia 53

Chad

Comores Islands

89 Bhutan 52

Equatorial Guinea

90 Central African Republic 51

Turkmenistan

Vietnam

91 Algeria 50

92 Angola 49

Cameroon

59 Fiji 88

60 Guyana 87

Nauru

61 Jamaica 84

Maldives

62 Botswana 83

Papua New Guinea

63 Bahrain 81

64 Oman 79

65 Bolivia 78

Suriname

66 Thailand 77

67 Namibia 76

68 Belarus 75

Kazakhstan

69 Lesotho 74

Saudi Arabia

70 eSwatini 73

71 Malawi 72

72 China 71

Kenya

73 Indonesia 70

Zambia

74 Gambia 69

75 Tanzania 68

Tunisia

76 Azerbaijan 66

Cape Verde Islands

Uganda

77 Cuba 65

Ghana

Philippines

78 Dominican Republic 64

Zimbabwe

1 Japan 190

Singapore

2 Finland 188

Germany

South Korea

3 Denmark 187

Italy

Luxembourg

4 France 186

Spain

Sweden

5 Austria 185

Netherlands

Portugal

6 Belgium 184

Canada

Greece

Ireland

Norway

Switzerland

United Kingdom

United States

7 Czech Republic 183

Malta

8 New Zealand 182

9 Australia 181

Lithuania

Slovakia

10 Hungary 180

Iceland

Latvia

Slovenia

11 Estonia 179

12 Liechtenstein 177



Q4 Insights and Analysis: It’s ‘the Age of Asia’ When it Comes to Passport Power

As the global economy transforms and centers of power shift, Asia’s dominance appears to be unfaltering. Entering into the final quarter of 2019, Japan and Singapore retain a firm hold on first place on the Henley Passport Index, each with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 190 out of a maximum 227. For most of the index’s 14-year history, the top spot has been held by a European country or by the US. However, this trend shifted dramatically in 2018, with Asian countries now firmly established as world leaders when it comes to both global economic activity and global mobility.

With visa-free or visa-on-arrival scores of 188, Finland, Germany, and South Korea remain in 2nd place, while Denmark, Italy, and Luxembourg are in 3rd place, with citizens of those countries now able to access 187 destinations worldwide without requiring a visa in advance. With a score of 184, the UK and the US remain in joint 6th place — the lowest position either country has held since 2010 and a significant drop from their 1st-place ranking in 2014. Both Russia and China have made small gains over the past three months: Russia is up three places and now ranks 48th on the index with a score of 117, and China has inched up two places and now sits on 72nd place with a score of 71.

While the positions on the index’s top 10 have remained relatively stable since the last update in July, there have been some striking shifts further down the ranking. Most dramatically, the UAE has climbed an extraordinary five places over the last three months (and 46 places over the past decade) and now sits in 15th place, with UAE passport holders able to access 172 destinations without a prior visa. Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan remain at the bottom of the ranking, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival scores of just 29, 27, and 25, respectively.

“Our ongoing research has shown us that when we are talking about ‘passport power’, we are discussing more than simply the destinations a holder can travel to without acquiring a visa in advance. Often, there is a strong correlation between visa freedom and other benefits such as business and investment freedom, independence of the judiciary, fiscal health, and property rights.”

“Regarding the connections between visa freedom and economic freedom, countries with investment migration programs are among the best examples. Malta, for instance, has one of the strongest passports in the world and is performing exceedingly well in terms of fiscal health. The statistics speak for themselves, as does the ongoing popularity of the investment migration industry with both wealthy clients and sovereign states.”

“The future of immigration policy in the UK does not depend fundamentally on whether or not the UK leaves the EU with a deal. In either scenario, there will be a ‘transitional period’ until at least December 2020, in which free movement of EU citizens to the UK will continue more or less as it operates today. After that, the UK is expected to introduce a new immigration system that treats EU and non-EU citizens in the same way. The full details of this system have not yet been announced, but it will make long-term settlement much harder for EU citizens. UK citizens who want to move to EU countries after Brexit will also face more restrictive immigration regimes.”

“Russia’s recent moves to ease visa restrictions should help increase the inflow of tourists and investors and improve Russia’s image beyond its borders, but issuing visas is usually a matter of reciprocity between states, so the response from other countries may hamper or stimulate the process of opening Russia to foreign visitors.”

“For more than a year, former UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has been saying that Asia would need to be a pillar of the country’s post-Brexit global economic policy. If indeed the UK is able to advance more free trade in services with Asian countries, this will require more British citizens to spend time in Asia to generate business across sectors such as finance, advisory, education, and others. At present, however, Asian markets have not prioritized individual free trade agreements with the UK over their current negotiations with the EU.”

“The power of the UAE passport depicts a nation that is attempting to position itself as a prominent player in the region. While the UAE may not be able to compete with Saudi Arabia — the regional hegemon — in terms of military strength and economic power, the projection of its soft power has become uncontested in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), making the UAE an embodiment of inspiration for other GCC countries.”

“Sub-Saharan Africa continues to make tentative progress in terms of improving its accessibility. Sierra Leone and Namibia are the latest countries to ease visa restrictions as a means of attracting foreign investment, revenue, and skillsets to augment their economic development goals.”

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin: Visa Freedom and Economic Freedom

Chairman of Henley & Partners

Dr. Juerg Steffen: Investment Migration

CEO of Henley & Partners

Dr. Madeleine Sumption: Brexit and the EU

Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford

Dr. Marina Soroka: Russia

Independent scholar and published author with expertise in the history of European international relations

Dr. Parag Khanna: Brexit and Asia

Founder and Managing Partner of FutureMap

Lorraine Charles: UAE

Research Associate at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Business Research

Ryan Cummings: Sub-Saharan Africa

Director at Signal Risk and independent consultant to international news outlets, publications, and think tanks



Weakest Passports in Q4 2019Strongest Passports in Q4 2019

Japan

France

Austria

Germany

Denmark

Finland

Italy

Sweden

Portugal

South Korea Somalia

Singapore

Spain

Netherlands

Luxembourg

Visa-free access to 190 destinations





1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

Yemen

Iraq

Afghanistan

Syria






103rd

104th

105th

106th

107th

Moving into the fourth quarter of 2019, Japan and Singapore remain in joint top spot on the Henley Passport Index, with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 190. Finland, Germany, and South Korea hold joint second place, with citizens of those countries able to access 188 destinations around the world without a prior visa.

At the other end of the global mobility spectrum, the Afghan passport remains the world’s weakest, in 107th

place, with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of just 25.

This infographic shows the countries that occupy the highest and lowest ranks on the Henley Passport Index. In certain cases, a rank is shared by multiple countries if these countries all have the same level of visa-free or visa-on-arrival access.

Pakistan



1–10

11–20

21-30

31-60

61–90

91–107

Passport rank

Passport Power Worldwide

This map shows the differences in relative passport power on a global scale, with light gray used to indicate the passports with the lowest visa-free or visa-on-arrival score and dark blue used to indicate the passports with the highest score.



Mali

This graph shows the countries that have climbed the highest up the Henley Passport Index rankings over the past decade, as well as those that have fallen most sharply over that period.

Biggest Climbers Since 2009

61

15

76

51

54

31

62

39

72

49

64

43

75

55

2009

2019

+46

+25 +23 +23+21

+23+20

United Arab Emirates

Albania Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)

Rank

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia Timor-Leste

Biggest Fallers Since 2009

Nigeria Bangladesh Syria Gambia Senegal

95

67

-28 -26-23 -22-22 -22

-26

Sierra Leone

79

53

99

73

105

82

74

52

86

64

87

65

2019

2009

Rank

Biggest Climbers and Fallers on the Henley Passport Index: 2009 to 2019

Colombia



The Link between Visa Freedom and Economic Freedom

Using historic data from the Henley Passport Index and the Index of Economic Freedom, political science researchers Uğur Altundal and Ömer Zarpli of Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh, respectively, found a strongly positive connection between visa freedom and a variety of indicators of economic freedom, including foreign direct investment inflows, property rights, tax burden, and investment freedom.

Looking at the latest rankings from the Henley Passport Index, Altundal and Zarpli observed that “countries that have higher visa scores also rank higher in economic freedom, especially in investment, financial, and business freedom”. One especially striking example of this positive correlation is Singapore, which ranks highest in nearly all economic indicators and holds the top spot on the Henley Passport Index.

Japan Malta

Eritrea

Singapore Australia

Afghanistan

Austria

UAE

Canada

ChinaRussia

UK

SudanSouth Africa

50

100

150

200

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Hen

ley

& P

artn

ers

Pass

port

Sco

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019

Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom Score 2019



Henley & Partners is the global leader in residence and citizenship planning. Each year, hundreds of wealthy individuals and their advisors rely on our expertise and experience in this area. The firm’s highly qualified professionals work together as one team in over 30 offices worldwide.

The concept of residence and citizenship planning was created by Henley & Partners in the 1990s. As globalization has expanded, residence and citizenship have become topics of significant interest among the increasing number of internationally mobile entrepreneurs and investors whom we proudly serve every day.

The firm also runs a leading government advisory practice that has raised more than USD 8 billion in foreign direct investment. Trusted by governments, the firm has been involved in strategic consulting and in the design, set-up, and operation of the world’s most successful residence and citizenship programs.

© 2019 by Henley & Partners. The H&P monogram and Henley & Partners are among the registered and unregistered trademarks of Henley & Partners Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antigua and Barbuda +1 268 562 2625 [email protected]

Australia +61 3 8680 2525 [email protected]

Austria +43 1 361 [email protected]

Canada +1 514 288 1997 [email protected]

China +86 20 2206 0499 [email protected]

Croatia +385 21 321 027 [email protected]

Cyprus +357 2531 1844 [email protected]

Dubai (UAE) +971 4 392 77 22 [email protected]

Antigua and Barbuda +1 268 562 2625 [email protected]

Australia +61 3 8680 2525 [email protected]

Austria +43 1 361 [email protected]

Canada +1 514 288 1997 [email protected]

China +86 20 2206 0499 [email protected]

Croatia +385 21 321 027 [email protected]

Cyprus +357 2531 1844 [email protected]

Dubai (UAE) +971 4 392 77 22 [email protected]

Montenegro +382 20 674 074 [email protected]

Philippines +63 2 8669 2771 [email protected]

Portugal +351 213 970 977 [email protected]

Singapore +65 6438 7117 [email protected]

Slovakia +421 2 3231 0675 [email protected]

South Africa +27 21 850 0524 [email protected]

South Korea +82 2 2008 4664 [email protected]

St. Kitts and Nevis +1 869 465 6220 [email protected]

Greece +30 21 0983 8705 [email protected]

Grenada +1 473 443 4000 [email protected]

Hong Kong +852 3101 4100 [email protected]

Jersey (British Isles) +44 1534 514 888 [email protected]

Latvia +371 66 05 10 09 [email protected]

Malaysia +603 2731 [email protected]

Malta +356 2138 7400 [email protected]

Moldova +373 22 109 209 [email protected]

St. Lucia +1 758 458 9777 [email protected]

Switzerland +41 44 266 22 22 [email protected]

Thailand +662 041 4628 [email protected]

United Kingdom +44 207 823 10 10 [email protected]

Vietnam +84 28 3911 1667 [email protected]

q4 update october 2019 - henley passport index...6 the information provided here reflects the 2019...

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