Malaysian Passport Ranks As 14th Most Powerful In The World
Japan possesses the most powerful passport in the world, while Singapore and South Korea tie for second place.
By Wayne Garreth — 12 Jan 2023, 11:03 AM
As borders are slowly opening around the world, Malaysians are eager to find their next travel destination for a much needed getaway.
But what if we were to tell you that the Malaysian passport has access to 179 locations around the globe?
London-based immigration consultancy firm, Henley & Partners, just revealed their 2023 ranking of 199 passports around the globe. Analysing data from the International Air Transport Association, the index sought to see how passports from these countries faired when accessing 227 travel destinations.
Referred to as The Henley Passport Index 2023, a precise methodology was used to determine the ranking. Among them included determining if an individual from each nation would be able to enter a travel destination without a visa application, if they could attain a visa upon arrival, if they require a permit, or if they would need to attain a government-approved electronic visa.
Ultimately, all the countries were classified based on their ease in accessibility, with a points system being used to rank the nations accordingly.
Here's a complete rundown on the ranking of all 199 countries:
According to the index, Malaysia possesses the 14th most powerful passport in the world for 2023, giving Malaysian nationals access to 179 of the 227 destinations.
While the ranking saw the Malaysian passport slip by one spot based on the 2022 ranking, it still remains the fourth most powerful Asian passport in the world
The three Asian countries that overtook Malaysia in the ranking also happen to be the nations that possess the three most powerful passports in the world.
Achieving the top spot for the fifth year in a row, the Japanese passport claims the title of most powerful passport in the world, having visa-free access to 193 global locations.
Slipping one spot to claim runner-up, Singapore ties with South Korea for possessing the second most powerful passport in the world, having visa-free access to 192 destinations. South Korea's retention of the second place standing also sees a slight improvement for the nation, which previously allowed visa-free access to 190 countries in 2022.
Countries that possess the top four most powerful passports in the world.
Image via Henley & PartnersRounding off the top five spots are numerous countries that tied due to their visa-free access to the same number of locations of the 227 destinations. The countries with the third most powerful passports in the world were Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain, allowing entry to 189 destinations. Austria and Denmark tied for fourth place with visa-free admittance to 188 places.
Wrapping up the top five are the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Sweden, and Portugal, all of which have entry to 187 destinations, visa-free.
As for the bottom five least powerful passports in the world, Yemen stands with visa-free access to just 34 countries, Pakistan with access to 32, Syria to 30, and Iraq to 29. Afghanistan ranks as holding the least powerful passport in the world, with visa-free access to 27 countries of the 227 destinations.
Nonetheless, it was also clarified that the rankings will be updated quarterly, and that the current status of each nation stands only for the first three months of 2023
"Updated quarterly, the Henley Passport Index is considered the standard reference tool for global citizens and sovereign states when assessing where a passport ranks on the global mobility spectrum," read a statement on the Henley & Partners website.
Furthermore, it was also stipulated in a report by Bloomberg that the rankings are not a reflection of the actual use of the passport itself. Referencing a statistic from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, only 24 million passports were in circulation at the end of 2021 for Japan, three million less than what it was the year before.
All in all, Malaysia's steady rank as one of the most powerful passports in the world gives clear assurance of the freedom and acceptance Malaysians are provided when travelling the globe.
