Dainik Nation News Portal
Singapore has the world’s “most powerful” passport, according to a global ranking, topped for the first time by an Asian country with India figuring at 75th position, three notches better than its previous ranking.
According to the Global Passport Power Rank 2017 by global financial advisory firm Arton Capital, Germany is ranked second, followed by Sweden and South Korea in third place.
Paraguay removed visa requirements for Singaporeans, propelling Singapore’s passport to the top of passport Index’s most powerful ranking with a visa-free score of 159, the company statement said.
Approximately 3.4 million holders of Singaporean passports can now travel to 159 countries either without a visa at all, or can have one issued on arrival. Germany came in second place, with its citizens able to visit 158 countries without a visa, while Sweden and South Korea tied for third.
The U.S. passport was in sixth place, alongside Malaysia, Ireland and Canada.
India, which was listed 78th last year, has improved its ranking, figuring at 75th position with a visa-free score of 51. Afghanistan came bottom of the list with visa-free access to just 22 countries.
Passport Index said the U.S. passport’s usefulness has fallen since President Donald Trump took office, with Turkey and the Central African Republic becoming the most recent countries to revoke their visa-free entry for holders.
Passport Index ranks passports worldwide based on the cross-border access a holder has. It was developed by Canada-based global consultancy Arton Capital.
