The Canadian Passport Was Ranked The 8th Most Powerful In The World In 2023, Below The U.S.
The U.S. just slightly beat Canada once again!
A person holds a Canadian passport and airline boarding pass.
For the third year in a row, the Henley Passport Index ranked the Canadian passport as the eighth-best passport to have across the world, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 185 travel destinations out of 227.
This index from migration consultancy firm Henley & Partners relies on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The ranking, released on January 10, took into account a total of 199 passports. But what makes your passport better than others?
Well, the firm examined the number of places to which each passport enables visa-free travel to determine which citizenships are more convenient for international trips.
Japan's passport remains at the top of the list, enabling access to 193 destinations, while Singapore and South Korea tied in second place with visa-free entry to 192 destinations.
German and Spanish citizens both have the third most powerful passports in the world.
In eighth place, Canada tied with Australia, Greece and Malta.
Canadians need to get a visa to travel to 42 destinations, including Russia, China, India, Cuba and 22 countries in Africa.
Though Canada remains in the global top 10, our passport has ranked higher in the past. It was the second-most powerful in 2014 and sixth in 2019.
The United States passport currently holds the seventh spot alongside the Czech Republic, Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand and Belgium.
At the bottom of the index are Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq and, in last place, Afghanistan. The Afghan passport grants visa-free access to only 27 destinations.