Passport rankings are issued each year to measure a country's passport strength. It is measured according to the total destinations a passport holder can enter without the need to apply for a visa in advance. Or it is simply assessing its global mobility. 

Passport Ranking Tools - HPI and Arton Capital

Two authentic and reliable sources of scoring global passports are the Henley Passport Index (HPI) by Henley & Partners and Passport Index by Arton Capital. 

Both of these sources have shown slightly different results. Japan is ranked as the world's most powerful passport in HPI, and UAE is first in the Passport Index. 

We are showing the top 10 World's Most Powerful Passports List, 2022, by both Henley & Partners and Arton Capital. Starting from the HPI ranking, here is the listing for passports. 

World's Most Powerful Passports List 2022 by HPI 

World's Most Powerful Passports List 2022 by Passport Index 

UAE is first in rank, which improved from previous years in 2022. One of its reasons includes lifting and easing COVID-19 border controls. But the UAE also benefited by funding lower-income countries' pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai in exchange for visa-free accords. 

Here the ranks, countries' names and total destinations are mentioned below. 

Rank 1 

UAE ranked first with a total of 174 destinations.

Rank 2

Total destinations - 170 

• Germany

• Sweden 

• Finland

• Luxembourg

• Spain

• France

• Italy

• Netherlands

• Austria

• Switzerland

• South Korea

Rank 3

Total destinations - 169

• Denmark

• Norway

• Belgium

• Portugal

• Poland

• Japan

• Ireland

• USA

• New Zealand

Rank 4

Total destinations - 168 

• Malta

• Czech Republic

• Greece

• Hungary

• UK

• Australia

Rank 5

Total destinations - 167 

• Singapore

• Lithuania

• Slovakia

• Canada 

Rank 6

Total destinations - 166

• Estonia

• Latvia

• Slovenia

Rank 7

Liechtenstein ranks seven with a total of 165 destinations. 

Rank 8

Total destinations - 164

• Cyprus

• Iceland 

• Croatia

• Romania

• Bulgaria 

Rank 9

Malaysia ranks nine with a total of 162 destinations. 

Rank 10

Total destinations - 160

• Brazil

• Monaco 

Countries with Weakest Passports 2022

Afghanistan's passport is ranked as the weakest in the world. It is in the 112th position on the HPI's bottom-of-the-chart list. 

Only 27 nations and territories are accessible to anyone holding passports issued by Afghanistan without a prior visa application. 

Other countries listed at the bottom of the list for weakest passports are Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Yemen. 

Final Words

There are various factors which make any country's passport powerful. Thus, making the immigration process easier for citizens is totally in the government's hands. It can be seen in the case of the UAE achieving more visa-free destinations by constantly seeking to develop friendly policies for the benefit of their people. Countries with the weakest passports should address their main issues to make immigration opportunities easier for their citizens.