The UAE has once again bagged the coveted title of ‘World’s Most Powerful Passport’ in 2021, based on the Passport Index. According to the Global Mobility Report Q4 2021 published by Arton Capital, the Emirati passport grants widespread visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a large swathe of the world.  

The UAE passport now has a world-beating mobility score of 160. It’s an impressive comeback from last year when the Gulf nation ranked 14th in the world, mainly due to Covid-19 border closures. 

The UAE was the global leader in passport mobility in 2019, too, when its passport enabled visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 179 nations worldwide. Since then, the country’s leadership has remained committed to rebuilding – and expanding – those strong international relationships. 

As the host of the Expo 2020 Dubai (which runs through March 2022), the UAE improved its passport power by subsidising country pavilions for lower-income nations in exchange for visa-free agreements, said the report. The result? The most inclusive world’s fair in history, a record visitor turnout, and the UAE’s rapid ascent in the passport rankings. 

The UAE is not only the highest-ranking Arab country on the Passport Index but also the only one in the top 10. Besides recording the highest mobility score in the world, the UAE scored 46 per cent for openness with a score of 18,441 on the Global Mobility Report.

European nations shine among Top 5 

Germany, Finland, and Italy tied for the world’s second most powerful passports in 2021– each with a mobility score of 152. Italy was ranked number fourth in 2020 while Finland held steady in the same position for the second straight year. Germany relinquished the top spot to the UAE.  

After plunging in passport power from 172 to 111 in early 2020, Germany rebounded enough to snag the coveted No. 1 position in 2020. The EU nation continued to improve its mobility last year. The UAE outpaced Germany by securing 43 new visa-free agreements (or successfully removing Covid-19 restrictions) compared with Germany’s 18. As many as seven countries share the position of third-strongest passport: Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden, and Switzerland. 

Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Australia tied for fourth place with a mobility score of 150. Australia’s ascendance is particularly notable since the country has historically fallen just shy of the top 5, ranking 6th in 2019 and 7th in 2020. The results come as a surprise, given that the Pacific nation kept its borders tightly shut for much of the past two years, only recently reopening to some fully vaccinated travellers at the end of 2021.  

Australia has made a dramatic comeback with 94 visa-free agreements and 51 visa-on-arrival agreements in place. Rounding out the top rankings, seven European countries – Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Norway and Poland – and, perhaps most unexpectedly, the US, have all tied for fifth-most powerful passport in 2021. 

America rising 

Before 2020, the US consistently ranked No. 3 or 4 globally, peaking in 2019 with a mobility score of 171. The American passport plummeted to 19th in the world, behind Uruguay, Singapore and Vatican City. The US passport still lags well behind 2019 levels but jumped 14 spots in 2021 alone (a feat shared only by the UAE), so there is reason to believe 2022 will bring greater mobility for Americans.  

Overall, Croatia’s mobility score has seen a sharp recovery this year, increasing from a low of 106 in mid-2020 to 145 in 2021. And the country’s ranking has surpassed pre-pandemic times: In 2019, Croatia ranked No. 10 in terms of passport power but moved up to 9th place in 2020 and held steady in 2021. 

The world is more open now 

Despite the setbacks like a new variant of the coronavirus pandemic, global mobility has regained substantial ground. This year, Passport Index data paints a picture of a world in recovery, bolstered by growing access to vaccines and an inherent desire to move, meet and connect across the globe. 

“The Passport Index and World Openness Score not only offer the only real-time barometer of global mobility but also reflect Covid-19 management,” said Armand Arton, President and CEO of Arton Capital. “Looking at the data, we can see that the success stories of 2021 have high vaccine access and uptake. Meanwhile, countries that are still combatting Covid-19 may remain stationary in the rankings for some time.” 

”The success stories of 2021 have high vaccine access and uptake. Countries that are still combatting Covid-19 may remain stationary in the rankings for some time”

Armand Arton, President and CEO of Arton Capital

The pandemic and passport power 

The report covered the state of Global Mobility in Q4 2021 and highlighted the biggest shifts in passport power due to the pandemic. This Passport Index is the world’s most popular global mobility intelligence platform providing interactive travel requirements and the ability to compare, rank and improve the power of passports. Looking at the trajectory of global mobility, the World Openness Score (WOS) paints a clear picture of overarching trends by calculating the total visa waivers around the world in real-time.  

The World Openness Score paints a clear picture of overarching trends by calculating the total visa waivers around the world in real-time. 

When tracking began in 2015, the WOS score climbed roughly six per cent per year on average from 17,904 that first year to an all-time high score of 21,360 in 2019. The WOS fell off a cliff during Covid-19, tumbling a staggering 65 per cent to a low of 12,944. Since the beginning of 2021, the WOS has made encouraging strides, growing 19.7 per cent to end the year with a score of 18,441 – roughly the same level as 2017. With the WOS climbing dramatically for the second year in a row, there is reason to believe global mobility is well on its way to a full recovery. 

Blue passports rule 

In 2021, blue passports dominated. Out of 199 countries tracked by the Passport Index, 83 have a blue passport cover, including the UAE, US, Canada, India, Argentina, Brazil, Barbados, Bhutan, Dominica, El Salvador and more. By comparison, 67 countries have a red passport; 42 green; and seven black.  

While it varies widely by country and culture, blue passports often symbolise the “new world”, free markets and the ocean. Red covers tend to be associated with Communist countries or Christian history, while green is often the colour of choice among Muslim countries because it has religious significance. As the rarest colour, black tends to symbolise local culture or politics and, on a practical level, hides wear and tear.  

The colour blue clocked yet another vote of confidence this year when South Korea changed its passport jacket from green to blue in December 2021. The new South Korean passport will also feature more than a dozen security features, expanded pages, sturdier polycarbonate pages, and 20 national treasure illustrations (up from two in the previous design).  

South Korea’s passport remains one of the world’s strongest, ranking third on the Passport Index in 2021. With a mobility score of 151, South Koreans can visit a total of 99 countries visa-free and another 46 visa-on-arrival.