In light of Asia’s growing power and influence on the world stage, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea now hold joint top spot on the Henley Passport Index, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 189.
Following a visa-exemption from Uzbekistan, Germany currently sits alone in second place, with a score of 188.
Five countries now share third place on the index – which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – with a score of 187: Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, and Sweden.
The UK and the US look increasingly unlikely to regain the top spot they jointly held in 2015, with the UK now sitting in fifth place with a visa-free/visa on arrival score of 185, and the US in 6th, with a score of 184. Afghanistan and Iraq remain at the bottom of the ranking with a score of just 30, a position one or both countries have occupied throughout the index’s 14-year history.
"While Schengen Area countries have traditionally topped the index as a result of their open access to Europe, developed Asian nations have been able to secure equally high scores in recent years thanks to their strong international trade and diplomatic relations," says Amanda Smit, managing partner at Henley & Partners South Africa.
The UAE continues its upward trajectory and is now just one spot away from entry into the index’s top 20. After the recent formalisation of a mutual visa-waiver agreement signed with Russia, UAE passport holders are now able to access 165 destinations around the world without a prior visa.
This current score marks an ascent from the position the UAE held a decade ago, when the country shared joint 61st place with Thailand and Zimbabwe and had a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of just 52.
Albania has moved up 28 places on the index over the past ten years, with citizens of this once closed-off nation now able to access 116 destinations without a prior visa. China’s ascent is less dramatic, but it is a change that experts believe to be far more significant from a geopolitical point of view: the country now sits in 67th spot, having moved up 12 places since 2009.
Commenting on these developments, Smit says: "Aggregately, sub-Saharan Africa is one of the poorest performing regions on the Henley Passport Index. The African continent accounts for 19 of the 27 countries whose scores have decreased over the past decade. However, although there is limited visa-free access outside of the continent, African states are increasingly strengthening their relationships with one another and deregulating internal visa regulations."
The latest rankings reflect the transformative effect that Asian development and growth is having on networks of transcontinental cooperation and connectivity. Dr Parag Khanna, founder and managing partner of FutureMap and author of The Future Is Asian: Global Order in the Twenty-first Century, says: "With all Asian countries topping the index, there is a clear momentum behind the region taking centre stage in globalisation.
The steady rise of China through its visa-waiver agreements shows how incremental and reciprocal measures can lead to significant progress in trust and recognition."
While growing passport strength seems inevitable for some countries, uncertainty abounds for others, as protracted Brexit negotiations continue.
EU leaders have agreed to a request to delay the Brexit process, with a new conditional deadline set for mid-April. Although the outcome remains unknown, Dr Florian Trauner, a research professor at the Institute for European Studies at the Free University of Brussels, points out that the process has not yet affected the UK’s standing on the Henley Passport Index.
"Post-Brexit, it is likely that UK citizens will retain their (short-stay) visa-free travel for the Schengen area. If the UK and EU manage to maintain a close political and trade relationship, the actual impact of Brexit on the travel freedom of British citizens may remain limited. However, the picture may change with regard to long-term mobility given that the free movement rights for UK citizens in the EU (and vice versa) will cease to apply."
More governments than ever are embracing citizenship-by-investment programmes as a means of stimulating economic development and growth, and an increasing number of wealthy and talented individuals are looking to diversify their citizenship portfolios to afford themselves and their families greater international opportunity, travel freedom, stability, and security.
Smit points out that the overall passport strength of countries with citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programmes is another of the index’s success stories.
"Malta, for instance, currently sits in the eighth spot, ahead of Australia, Iceland, and New Zealand. Montenegro, which is due to launch its CBI program in the coming months, has climbed 19 places since 2009 to 43rd place with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 124. Moldova, ranked as one of the highest historical climbers on the Henley Passport Index, jumping 21 places over the past decade, is now in 45th place with holders currently able to travel to 121 global destinations visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival” she says.
Smit maintains that she is not in the business of convincing South Africans to flee the country. "Yes, a second passport is certainly a hedge against future uncertainty, not just for the applicant but also for his or her family. But dual citizenship is far more than a mere means of escape. It can also significantly enhance the mobility of nationals travelling on visa-restricted passports, South Africans included.
"Alternative citizenship represents the most direct route to global mobility, connectivity, and access."
"Individuals who have multiple passports benefit from each country’s best practices and are less vulnerable to its risks and shortcomings. The Henley Passport Index is relevant to anyone seeking to strengthen their level of international access, as well as to governments trying to understand their passport offering in a global context," concludes Smit.
