Qatar is ranked 55th in the 2023 Global Passport Ranking by the Henley Passport Index, with visa-free access to 100 destinations worldwide, moving two points higher from its 57th spot last year.
In addition to the latest results from the Henley Passport Index, the latest ranking also provides fascinating insights into a world characterised by extraordinary upheaval and offers a revealing look at what lies ahead.
Visa-free travel for top-ranking passports
For the fifth year running, Japan crowns the Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
Japanese citizens are now able to visit an astonishing 193 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free, while South Koreans and Singaporeans, whose countries are tied in second place on the index, enjoy a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 192.
Germany and Spain are joint third, with visa-free access to 190 destinations worldwide.
The UK and the US remain in sixth and seventh places, with scores of 187 and 186, respectively, and it appears increasingly unlikely that either country will ever regain the top spot on the index which they jointly held nearly a decade ago in 2014.
With global travel now at around 75% of pre-pandemic levels, those with the opportunity to do so appear to be embracing what has been termed revenge travel. But a deeper analysis of the index reveals the darker side to this optimistic picture.
Afghanistan remains firmly at the bottom of the index, with a score of just 27 – 166 fewer visa-free destinations than Japan, which represents the widest global mobility gap in the index’s 18-year history. As indicated by exclusive new research conducted by leading residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners into the link between passport strength and access to the global economy, citizens of the index’s lowest-ranking countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq (visa-free score of 29), and Syria (visa-free score of 30) are effectively shut out of a shockingly wide breadth of opportunities for economic mobility and growth.
Henley & Partners Chairman Dr Christian H. Kaelin, who invented the passport index concept nearly 20 years ago, said that this latest, eye-opening study enhances our understanding of what passport power means in concrete financial terms.
He said that the Henley Passport Index measures visa-free access to 227 destinations across the world, which of course makes it an extremely useful tool for travellers. However, for global citizens and international businesspeople, a better measure of economic mobility and opportunity afforded by their passports is an indication of what share of the world’s GDP is accessible to them visa-free.
Our latest research into how much global economic access each passport provides is a useful tool for investors, in addition to giving new insight into the ever-widening economic inequality and wealth disparity that has come to define our world.
How passport strength can transform a country’s fate – and vice versa
Commenting in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q1, leading global strategist and member of the Henley & Partners Advisory Board, Dr Parag Khanna, says countries are once again embracing the geopolitical adage that collecting people is collecting power, after almost three years of stagnation.
International travel is surging to record levels, dozens of countries have launched nomad visa or golden visa schemes, and relocations are surging to take advantage of remote work opportunities, settle in friendly tax regimes, or adapt to the impact of climate change on property markets.
A good example of this is the UAE, the Henley Passport Index’s great success story, which has climbed an astonishing 49 places over the past 10 years. Ranking 64th at the end of 2012, with a visa-free score of just 72, the UAE now sits in 15th place, with a score of 178 and access to nearly 70% of global GDP.
Qatar’s future success story
Looking ahead to other potential future success stories in 2023, analysts anticipate that Kuwait and Qatar will sign a visa-free deal with the EU this year – a move that will dramatically enhance both countries’ Henley Passport Index scores, as their passport holders will be granted visa-free access to all 27 EU member states.
While Asian countries still dominate the very top of the index, the growing passport strength of Gulf countries has been identified as a key trend in the coming year.
Commenting on the Henley Global Mobility Report 2023 Q1, Dr Robert Mogielnicki, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said they are poised for strong and much improved economic performances. Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup provided an unparalleled opportunity to market to a global audience. Kuwait is also anticipated to accelerate to 8.5% alongside a strong performance in the non-oil sectors, according to the World Bank.
Read the full report here.
Original text and image from henleyglobal.com.
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