Henley Index: Here is the 2020 list of world's most powerful passports

Global citizenship and residence advisory firm, Henley & Partners Citizens, have released the passport index for 2020.
The annual report is a ranking of the most powerful passports across the world.
The Japanese passport is number one while an Afghanistan passport is the weakest.

The Japanese passport has been adjudged the world’s most travel-friendly passports according to the Henley Index.

The report which is the first of the new decade the Japanese passport opens more doors for the holders than any other

Japan offers visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to an incredible 191 destinations around the world.

On the index Asian countries take the top three positions. Singapore in second place (with a score of 190) and South Korea and Germany are third place (with a score of 189).

The rest of the top ten positions are taken by European countries. Finland and Spain are at No.4, Spain, Luxembourg, and Denmark are fifth, and Sweden and France sitting at No. 6.

However, the US and the UK, continue to go down the rankings. The two countries are eighth on the index. This is far from the first position they jointly held five years ago, in 2015.

The biggest success story of the index in the past decade is UAE climbing. The country climbed 47 places over the past ten years to be at the 18th place, with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 171.

However, the report indicated that there is a growing mobility gap which is the widest it has ever recorded since the index's inception in 2006.

Indexes for the ranking

The Henley Passport Index is mainly based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). This covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations. It is updated as and when visa policy changes come into effect.

The best passports to hold in 2020 are:

1. Japan (191 destinations)

2. Singapore (190)

3. South Korea, Germany (189)

4. Italy, Finland (188)

5. Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark (187)

6. Sweden, France (186)

7. Switzerland, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland, Austria (185)

8. United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Greece, Belgium (184)

9. New Zealand, Malta, Czech Republic, Canada, Australia (183)

10. Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary (181)

The worst passports to hold