The world’s strongest passports: Singapore leads the ranking

What nationalities have the strongest passports? What passport gets you around the globe with the least worries about the need for special visas? It used to be Germany and Singapore, but since this month the Asian city state leads the world ranking of strongest passports on its own.

The city-state of nearly 6 million is the first Asian nation to hold the premier spot on Arton Capital’s Global Passport Index, followed by Germany, South Korea and Japan. The rising star in the rankings is Malaysia, now at sixth spot.

Forbes reports that Arton Capital, the primary source of passport ranking index, rates citizens’ freedom to travel based on the number of countries a passport holder can visit visa-free or with a visa on arrival.

Singapore grabbed first spot when South America’s Paraguay decided to allow Singaporean passport holders into their borders visa-free. According to the report, the relative strength of the Singaporean passport is a result of Asia-Pacific's desire to facilitate open trade, travel and policy.

Asian countries have surpassed the traditionally strong passports of Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and the U.S.

Further reading on Forbes.com