KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore remains in first place at the top of a quarterly ranking of the world's most powerful passports, having visa-free access to the most countries in the world - 195 countries.
The latest data published by CNN Travel from the Henley Passport Index showed that Singaporeans continue to enjoy visa-free access to 195 countries out of 227 destinations worldwide.
Second on the list is Japan, with visa-free access to 193 destinations, including access to neighbouring China for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, and South Korea are in third place, with access to 192 destinations with no prior visa needed.
Malaysia, however, is ranked 12th in the passport index survey, with visa-free access to 183 of the 227 countries. It has maintained its spot on the index chart from last year after climbing up two ranks from 14th place in 2023.
CNN reported that the index, now in its 20th year, was created by the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners to track global travel freedom in 227 countries and territories around the world, using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
"At the opposite end of the ranking, at 106, Afghanistan remains locked in bottom place, with visa-free access to just 26 destinations, two fewer than a year ago. Syria is at No. 105 (with 27 destinations) and Iraq is at No. 104 (with 31 destinations).
"This means that the gap between the travel freedoms enjoyed by the citizens at the top and bottom of the ranking has never been wider," CNN Travel reported.
It said the rest of the top 10 places in the list were occupied mostly by the European Union's border-free Schengen area, which guarantees free movement to more than 425 million EU citizens.
Seven EU countries, each with visa-free access to 191 destinations - Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden - occupied fourth place.
Meanwhile, five countries - Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom - each with visa-free access to 190 destinations, stand in fifth place.
"The rest of the top 10 is dominated by European countries, with a few exceptions. Australia and Greece are tied at No. 6, while Malta, Poland, and Canada are at No. 7. Eighth place is shared by Czechia and Hungary, while the United States and Estonia are at No. 9, and No. 10 is held by Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and the United Arab Emirates with access to 185 countries. The UAE is one of the index's biggest success stories in global mobility, having secured access to an additional 72 destinations since 2015, allowing it to climb 32 places to 10th spot with visa-free access to 185 destinations," it said.
China, meanwhile, secured 60th place this year and became one of the biggest climbers after it shot up from the 94th rank in 2015.