Ireland has surpassed the UK in the global passport ranks, even though it has dropped a place from 2019.
According to the 2020 Henley Passport Index, the Irish passport is currently more powerful than a British one.
Ireland ranks joint seventh with Switzerland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Austria, with their passports allowing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 185 destinations.
The UK places eighth, joint with the US, Norway, Greece and Belgium, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 184 countries.
While the US and the UK ranked fifth in 2015, they have continues to drop in the rankings in recent years.
The Irish passport’s dominance in power is credited to 900,000 Irish passports being issued in 2019 due to a steady rise in applications from British residents since the 2016 Brexit vote.
The most powerful passports to hold in 2020 are:
- Japan (191 destinations)
- Singapore (190)
- South Korea, Germany (189)
- Italy, Finland (188)
- Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark (187)
- Sweden, France (186)
- Switzerland, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland, Austria (185)
- United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Greece, Belgium (184)
- New Zealand, Malta, Czech Republic, Canada, Australia (183)
- Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary (181)
The least powerful passports to hold in 2020:
- Bangladesh, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Eritrea, Iran (41 destinations)
- Kosovo, Lebanon (40)
- North Korea, Sudan (39)
- Nepal, Palestinian Territory (38)
- Libya (37)
- Yemen (33)
- Somalia, Pakistan (32)
- Syria (29)
- Iraq (28)
- Afghanistan (26)
