For the fifth-year running, Germany has the most powerful passport in the world, according to the Henley Passport Index. The European country narrowly manages to beat rivals Singapore. The city-state received the same title in a similar ranking published in October 2017 by Arton Capital, a Canadian organization.
Germans enjoys visa-free access to 177 countries – rising from 176 in 2017 – according to this year’s index by Henley & Partners, a global residence and citizenship planning firm.
The index ranks nations around the world on how many countries citizens can visit without a visa – something that can be a significant cost or barrier when it comes to international travel. A similar ranking, Arton Capital’s Passport Index, also places Germany in the top spot.
In second place is Singapore, whose citizens can travel visa-free to 176 countries. The third place spot is jointly held by eight countries – Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the UK, whose citizens can travel to 175 countries without a visa. Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain all tie for fourth place.