British consulting firm Henley & Partners has revealed its ranking of the world’s most powerful passports in 2021. It ranks nationalities according to the number of countries the passport holder can travel to. In 2021, France ranks 5th and the first two places are occupied by Asian countries.
As a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, some countries have closed their borders and others are strongly advised against it. The virus has changed the territories accessible according to one’s nationality. The British consulting firm Henley & Partners recently revealed its 2021 ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, reports CNN and relayed by Capital.
At the top of this ranking are the Japanese and Singaporean passports. The latter allow travel to 192 countries. They are closely followed by Germany and South Korea, whose passports open the borders of 190 countries. Finnish, Italian, Luxembourg and Spanish passports give access to 189 destinations.
A ranking illustrating inequalities
With 187 accessible countries, the French passport ranks fifth, on a par with the Irish, Dutch, Portuguese and Swedish passports. As CNN notes, it is mainly European countries that occupy the top spots in this ranking despite the presence of two Asian territories in the lead.
On the other hand, the United States and the United Kingdom, which occupied the top spot in 2014, are now in seventh place with 185 open countries. Unsurprisingly, it is Afghanistan, now in the hands of the Taliban, that comes last with only 26 destinations. It is narrowly preceded by Iraq (28), Syria (29), Pakistan (31) and North Korea (39).
The report accompanying this ranking also denounces “growing inequalities”. According to the document, some developed countries use health restrictions to slow down mobility from the South. “If we want to revive the global economy, it is essential that developed countries encourage internal migration flows, instead of persisting with outdated restrictions,” says Christian Kälin, CEO of Henley & Partner.