New Zealand has retained its position as one of the world’s most powerful passports, according to the latest Henley & Partners Passport Index.
According to a report by 1News, the annual ranking, which uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), assesses 199 passports and 227 global travel destinations to determine how freely passport holders can move around the world.
According to the Index, New Zealand passport holders can now travel to 183 countries without needing a visa, a slight decrease from 186 destinations recorded in October. Despite the drop, New Zealand remains in sixth place globally, sharing the ranking with Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Malta and Poland, 1News has reported.
Singapore claimed the top spot, with its citizens able to travel visa-free to 192 countries. Japan and South Korea followed closely in second place, with access to 188 destinations each.
Australia was placed seventh in the ranking, alongside Latvia, Liechtenstein and the United Kingdom.
As reported by 1News, at the bottom of the index was Afghanistan, where passport holders can enter just 24 countries without a visa. Syria and Iraq ranked just above Afghanistan, with visa-free access to 26 and 29 countries, respectively.
The Henley Passport Index is widely used as a measure of global travel freedom and reflects how geopolitical and diplomatic changes continue to shape international mobility, as reported by 1News.
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