American passports rank as 7th most powerful, travel index says

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Some passports are said to be stronger than others.

Henley & Partners – a London-based investment migration consultancy firm – updated its Henley Passport Index, which ranks passport power by country.

Sourcing data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), the firm analyzed 199 global passports and recorded how many travel destinations each passport unlocked.

Henley’s current passport index rankings are based on 227 travel destinations. 

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Here’s how countries stack up "on the global mobility spectrum," according to the firm’s third-quarter index update.

The U.S. State Department began issuing passports in 1789, according to the Library of Congress. (iStock)

Japan is said to be the country with the most powerful passport. Henley & Partners found that Japanese passports had access to 193 destinations.

"Japan holds the number one spot on the index — the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa — with a record-high visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 193," the firm wrote in a statement.

Singapore and South Korea are tied in second place on the Henley Passport Index with access to 192 travel destinations.

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While the three Asian nations took top spots on the index, 23 European nations dominated Henley & Partners' list and tied in the ranking’s top 10.

The countries included Germany and Spain in third place with access to 190 destinations; Finland, Italy and Luxembourg in fourth place with access to 189 destinations; Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden in fifth place with access to 188 destinations; France, Ireland, Portugal and U.K. in sixth place with access to 187 destinations; Belgium, Norway and Switzerland in seventh place with access to 186 destinations; Czech Republic, Greece and Malta in eighth place with access to 185 destinations and Hungary in ninth place with access to 183 destinations.

Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia placed 10th with 182 access to destinations.

The Henley Passport Index says American passports have travel access to 186 destinations around the globe, as of July 2022. (iStock)

North America and Oceania only have two countries that ranked on the Henley Passport Index’s top 10.

New Zealand and U.S. tied in seventh place alongside three European nations with passport access to 186 travel destinations.

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Australia and Canada tied in eighth place, also alongside three European nations, with passport access to 185 travel destinations.

While the U.S. has 16 countries ahead of it on Henley’s Passport Index for July 2022, the land of the free had fewer countries place before it compared to last year’s ranking. 

In 2021, the U.S. ranked in seventh place with passport access to 185 travel destinations. It tied with Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway and U.K, and 18 countries were ahead on the index’s overall ranking. 

Comparing 2022 to 2012, American passports of today have access to 20 more destinations, according to Henley Passport Index records.

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Americans are required to have passports for all international air travel, according to the U.S. government. (iStock)

The countries that are said to have the least powerful passports are North Korea, which has access to 40 destinations; Nepal and the Palestinian territory, which has access to 38 destinations; Somalia, which has access to 35 destinations; Yemen, which has access to 34 destinations; Pakistan, which has access to 32 destinations; Syria, which has access to 30 destinations; Iraq, which has access to 29 destinations; and Afghanistan, which has access to 27 destinations.

Fox News Digital reached out to Henley & Partners for comment.

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The firm has passport index records that date back to 2006.