Swiss passport one of the best in the world, new ranking reveals
By Jan de Boer
The latest Henley Passport Index has seen the Swiss passport retain its status as one of the best in the world. The organisation ranked the red document in joint seventh place, as it allows travel to 186 different countries without a visa.
Henley Passport Index, 2023
In the report, Henley & Partners analysed 199 different passports from around the world to see which is best and worst for international travellers. This year, the organisation studied whether each passport granted visa-free access to 227 different global travel destinations.
To create the ranking, each passport is awarded a single point for every country or destination that the holder can travel to without having to apply for a visa, and any country where only a visa on arrival, visitors permit or an electronic travel authority (ETA) is required. On the flip side, for every destination where a visa that cannot be claimed at airports, ports or border checkpoints is needed, or for nations where pre-departure government approval is mandatory, the passport receives zero points.
Swiss passport takes sixth place in 2023 ranking
After moving from seventh to sixth in 2020, before falling back to seventh in 2021 and 2022, the Swiss passport continues to be rated highly by the index in 2023, placing sixth with 188 points. The alpine nation shared the sixth rung with Australia and New Zealand.
The score means Swiss citizens are able to visit 188 nations around the world without a pre-approved visa or permit. What's more, the alpine nation was only two points off the Netherlands, which came in joint-fourth, and only seven points off first place, which was taken by Singapore with 193 points.
Best and worst passports in the world in 2023
According to the 2023 Henley Passport Index, the best passports in the world are:
- Singapore (193)
- Japan (192)
- Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Sweden (191)
- Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, United Kingdom (190)
- Belgium, Malta, Norway, Portugal (189)
- Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland (188)
- Canada, Czechia, Greece, Poland, United States (187)
- Hungary (186)
- Lithuania (185)
- Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (184)
On the other hand, the worst passports in the world for 2023 are:
- Afghanistan (27)
- Iraq (29)
- Syria (30)
- Pakistan (32)
- Yemen (34)
- Somalia (35)
- Palestinian Territory, Nepal (38)
- North Korea (40)
- Bangladesh, Kosovo, Libya (41)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Sudan (42)
To find out more about the ranking, and to see how your country's passport did, visit the Henley & Partners website.
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Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016.
While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more