According to the annual research carried out by the offshore consulting firm Nomad Capitalist, Luxembourg citizens have the best passport in the world for the second year running. Its citizens are able to travel to 186 other countries without requiring a visa, enjoy high levels of personal freedom and a positive perception globally as a country not in conflict with other nations.
The third edition of the Nomad Passport Index rates 199 different passports on five key criteria including how much visa-free travel it affords the holder, levels of personal freedom, the international community’s perception of the country, taxation and the ease of obtaining dual citizenship.
While the top ten passports are all from Europe, and nine of the top ten in the EU, the British passport slipped five places, from position 22 last year down to 27 as Brexit uncertainty intensified. This is a significant fall from grace for British passport holders as it was as high as 16 in 2017.
For US passport holders, global taxation of its citizens saw it fall to 38th position, tied with Romania and Hong Kong, yet ranking below Cyprus, Greece, Estonia and Lithuania.
Iraq has the world’s worst passport, with access to just 27 countries, little personal freedom and a poor international perception. Afghanistan narrowly avoided the bottom spot by just one point.
The 2019 top ranking passports are:
- Luxembourg – 114 points
- Switzerland – 113.5 points
- Sweden – 113.5 points
- Ireland – 113 points
- Belgium – 113 points
- Italy – 112.5 points
- Portugal – 112.5 points
- Finland – 112.5 points
- Spain – 112 points
- France – 112 points
France was ranked in the index for the first time ever this year, making the top 10 thanks to an excellent worldwide reputation, visa-free travel to 188 countries and global-citizenship friendly global citizenship policies.
Andrew Henderson, Chief Creative Officer at Nomad Capitalist said: “We developed the Nomad Passport Index to speak to aspiring global citizens and give deeper understanding of what it means to be a citizen at a time when mobility is increasing at a pace that arguably is outstripping personal freedom and wealth preservation. This year’s results are particularly significant given the turmoil in the EU thanks to Brexit and social and political unease in the USA. What is clear from this year’s results is that the EU leads the way when it comes to offering its citizens visa-free access to other nations and personal freedoms.”
