A UK passport just got more powerful as global rankings have shifted for 2021.
The Henley Passport Index looks at how many countries you can visit visa-free based on the passport you hold.
A British passport came in at seventh place with visa-free access to 185 countries, in joint place with Switzerland, the USA, Norway, Belgium and New Zealand.
It's a move up considering that last year the UK came in at eighth place with 184 countries (last year Turkey revealed that Brits would no longer need to obtain a visa for up to 90 days).
Of course the Covid-19 pandemic continues to mean there are global travel restrictions, and current national lockdowns in England, Scotland and Wales all include a ban on international travel (there are some legally permitted exceptions but a holiday doesn't fall under this).
Still, that hasn't stopped us from dreaming of where we can visit in the future - and we've put together a bucket list of destinations for a fix of wanderlust.
As for the top spot? Japan currently has the most powerful passport in the world, for the third consecutive year.
Those who hold a Japanese passport can currently visit 191 countries visa-free.
However, during the Covid-19 pandemic having the most powerful passport isn't particularly helpful, thanks to Covid-specific global travel restrictions. The Henley Passport Index doesn't take this restrictions into consideration when creating the list - it only looks at the places you can officially visit with your document.
Of course when global restrictions do lift, those with a Japanese passport will have a plethora of destinations to choose from for their post-pandemic adventures.
You can check out the list of the world's top 10 powerful passports as it currently stands below...
Top 10 most powerful passports
- Japan - 191 countries
- Singapore - 190 countries
- South Korea, Germany - 189 countries
- Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg - 188 countries
- Denmark, Austria - 187 countries
- Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland - 186 countries
- Switzerland, USA, UK, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand - 185 countries
- Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, Australia - 184 countries
- Canada - 183 countries
- Hungary -182 countries
You can see the full global rankings on henleypassportindex.com.
