In this study from Italian Dual Citizenship, a powerful passport is defined as one that lets holders visit the highest number of foreign countries without a visa. The team also compiled data on passport holders who could enter with a visa upon arrival, which is a lot less hassle than visiting a country where a visa is required. The team then ranked each country’s passport according to this data and mapped out which country’s citizens have the world’s most powerful passports.
They found that these countries have the most powerful passports:
- United Arab Emirates
- Spain
- France
- Italy
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Luxembourg
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Belgium
- Finland
Many of the European countries on the list were tied for their position since European Union citizens can visit all other countries in the Union without a Visa. The countries with the most restrictive passports are Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Many of the countries on the far end of the list are restricted to US citizens without a Visa and have a travel advisory.
A US passport grants access to 172 countries with no or easy Visa requirements. Americans may be surprised to learn that this only ranks American passports at #35 on the upper half of the middle of the list. Countries in North and South America and Western Europe tend to have the most powerful passports, while citizens in African, Asian, and Eastern European countries have the least powerful passports. The comprehensive, color-coded map allows viewers to look for patterns and detect which citizens are the most mobile.
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