Philippine passports (Photo from the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine passport placed 78th out of 109 in the 2023 Henley Passport Index (HPI), with Japan leading the list.
In January last year, it was 77th out of 111, but it ended up at 80th by the end of 2022.
According to Henley & Partners — the firm that oversees the global index of passport power — HPI compares the visa-free access of 199 passports of different countries to 227 travel destinations.
It gives a score based on the number of destinations a holder of the passport can access visa-free.
A score of one is given for every destination a country’s passport can go to without visa. A score of zero is given for every destination where a visa is required — or where passport holders have to get a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa), or if they need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival.
In the first quarter of 2023, the Philippines tied with Uganda at 78th, which means both countries only have 66 visa-free travel destinations — not even half of 227.
Meanwhile, below are the top 10 strongest passports – with the number of countries their passport holders can go to visa-free, according to the latest HPI:
- Japan – 193
- Singapore, South Korea – 192
- Germany, Spain – 190
- Finland, Italy, Luxembourg – 189
- Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden – 188
- France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom –187
- Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States – 186
- Australia Canada, Greece, Malta – 185
- Hungary, Poland – 184
- Lithuania, Slovakia – 183
Afghanistan continued to rank the lowest on the list at 109th. Afghan passport holders can travel visa-free to only 27 countries.
It is followed by Iraq with only 28 countries, Syria with 29, Pakistan with 31, Yemen with 33, and Somalia with 34.
The complete HPI ratings for 2023 can be found here: The Henly Passport Index: Q1 2023 Factsheet.