Singaporean Passport Is World's Best Based on New Report
Recently, a new report has revealed the country with the most powerful passport this 2017, and many will probably be surprised to know that this country comes from Asia.
A new report by the Global Passport Power Rank has revealed that Singapore is the country with the most powerful passport in the world today. The report was produced by advisory firm Arton Capital, which recently ranked all the passports in the world to identify which of them is the most powerful based on a set of criteria.
According to reports, Arton Capital ranked the passports of the world based on their "total visa-free score." Here a country gets a point if its passport holders get to visit other countries without a visa, with a visa on arrival, or using electronic travel authorization. Since Singapore got the most score of 159, that means Singaporean passport holders can easily visit 159 countries around the world either without a visa or just by getting a visa upon arrival.
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In a statement, Philippe May, the managing director of Arton Capital's Singapore Office, said, "For the first time ever, an Asian country has the most powerful passport in the world. It is a testament of Singapore's inclusive diplomatic relations and effective foreign policy."
Singapore's current position partly comes as a result of a recent decision by Paraguay to remove visa requirements for Singaporean passport holders. With the Asian city-state topping the list, Germany comes in as second best with a score of 158. Meanwhile, Sweden, and South Korea are tied for third place with a score of 157.
For the last two years, Germany was declared to have the world's best passport. Historically, European countries were the ones who always dominated the index, so topping the list this 2017 is certainly a feat for an Asian country like Singapore.
