Henley & Partners has compiled a traditional index of the world's largest passports in 2021 A Source: forumdaily.com
According to the latest report by the London-based global citizenship and residence consulting firm Henley & Partners, the gap in freedom of movement has never been greater.
Henley Passport Index , based on exclusive data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has regularly tracked the world's most travel-friendly passports since 2006. It says that increasing barriers to mobility, which have been introduced over the last 18 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, have led to the largest gap in global mobility in the index's 16-year history.
The index does not take into account temporal restrictions, so without of actual current travel access, holders of the top-ranked passports - Japan and Singapore - can theoretically travel visa-free to 192 destinations.
This is 166 more destinations than Afghan nationals, who are at the bottom of the list with 199 passports , and can access only 26 countries without requiring a prior visa.
Europe dominates
Further in the top ten, the ranking remains largely unchanged as we enter the final quarter of 2021. South Korea shares second place with Germany (with a score of 190), while Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain are tied for third place (with a score of 189).
As always, EU countries dominate the top of the list, with Austria and Denmark in fourth place, and France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden in fifth. New Zealand, which has announced it is abandoning its Covid-19 elimination strategy in favor of a vaccine certificate system, is in sixth place alongside Belgium and Switzerland.
The United States and the United Kingdom, which shared the top spot in 2014, now occupy a more modest place in the ranking. They are number 7, alongside the Czech Republic, Greece, Malta and Norway, with visa-free or on-demand access to 185 destinations. Australia and Canada are in eighth place, Hungary in ninth place, and Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia together in 10th place with a score of 182 points.
“Growing Inequality”
The Henley & Partners report points to “growing inequality” and suggests that “restrictive measures initially introduced to contain the spread of Covid-19 are now being conveniently used to curb mobility from the Global South”.
Mehari Taddele Maru, a research fellow at the Institute for Comparative Studies on Regional Integration at the United Nations University, comments in the report that “the global North has for some time been pursuing aggressive strategies to curb migration through strict border controls that move people.
"Covid-19 travel restrictions are a new addition to the suite of migration deterrence tools used by the Global North to limit mobility from the Global South." Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the Passport Index concept, says these decisions could have far-reaching consequences.
"If we want to restart the world economy, it is critical that developed countries encourage internal migration flows, rather than maintaining outdated restrictions," he says. "Agile countries must future-proof their economies by attracting and welcoming the younger generation."
Найкращі паспорти у 2021 році:
1. Japan, Singapore (192 destinations)
2. Germany, South Korea (190)
3. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain (189)
4. Austria, Denmark (188)
5. , Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden (187)
6. Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland (186)
7. Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway, United Kingdom, United States of America (185)
8. Australia, Canada Hungary (183)
9. Hungary (183)
10. Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia (182)
The worst passports of the world
Some countries of the world have visa-free access or access with payment on arrival in less than 40 countries: 109. North Korea (39 sent)
110. Nepal and Palestinian territories (37)
111. Somalia (34)
112. Yemen (33)
113. Pakistan (31)
114. Syria (29)
115. Iraq (28)
116. Afghanistan (26)
What about post-Soviet countries?
Post-Soviet countries are ranked as follows: 38th place - Ukraine (136 countries) 50 - Moldova (120 countries) 52 - Russia (118 countries) 55 - Georgia (115 countries) 73 - Belarus (78 countries) 75 - Kazakhstan (74 countries) ) 80 - Azerbaijan (68 countries) 84 - Armenia (64 countries) 86 - Kyrgyzstan (62 countries) 90 - Tajikistan (58 countries) 92 - Uzbekistan (56 countries) 96 - Turkmenistan (52 countries)
Other indices The Henley & Partner list is one of several indices created by financial firms to rank global passports according to the access they provide to their citizens.
The Henley Passport Index covers 227 tourist destinations. It is updated in real time throughout the year as changes in the visa policy take effect. The Arton Capital Passport Index takes into account the passports of 193 UN member states and six territories - Taiwan Republic of China, Macau (SAR China), Hong Kong (SAR China), Kosovo, Palestinian Territory and Vatican City.
Territories annexed to other countries are excluded. According to the index at the end of 2021, the United Arab Emirates ranks first with a visa-free / visa-on-arrival score of 152.
