How powerful a passport is, is determined by the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free. The ranking system awards a passport one point for each country it allows travel to without the need for a pre-obtained visa. Passports are also awarded a point if the bearer can obtain a visa on arrival, or a visitor’s permit or electronic travel authority. No points are awarded for destinations for which the traveller needs to obtain a visa, or government approval, before arriving in the country.
Here are the top 20 most powerful passports in the world.
| Rank | Passport issuing country | Visa-free destinations |
| 1. | France | 194 |
| 2. | Germany | 194 |
| 3. | Italy | 194 |
| 4. | Japan | 194 |
| 5. | Singapore | 194 |
| 6. | Spain | 194 |
| 7. | Finland | 193 |
| 8. | South Korea | 193 |
| 9. | Sweden | 193 |
| 10. | Austria | 192 |
| 11. | Denmark | 192 |
| 12. | Ireland | 192 |
| 13. | Netherlands | 192 |
| 14. | Belgium | 191 |
| 15. | Luxembourg | 191 |
| 16. | Norway | 191 |
| 17. | Portugal | 191 |
| 18. | United Kingdom | 191 |
| 19. | Greece | 190 |
| 20. | Malta | 190 |
| Switzerland | 190 |
