Hong Kong passport ranks 15th globally, highest since 2014

The competitiveness of the Hong Kong passport has been ranked 15th globally, the first time since 2014, according to the Henley Passport Index released by British investment migration consultancy Henley & Partners.

Hong Kong's ranking climbed to 13th place in 2006 but has been fluctuating between 18th and 19th place since 2019.

The index utilizes Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to rank all passports worldwide based on the number of destinations their holders can visit without requiring a prior visa.

In this year's index, the top rankings are all occupied by Asian locations, with Singapore taking first place, while Japan and South Korea are tied for second.

Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland are tied for third. Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway rank fourth.

Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United Arab Emirates are tied for fifth, while Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Malta, New Zealand, and Poland are in sixth place.

Additionally, Australia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, and the UK are tied for seventh, followed by Canada, Iceland, and Lithuania in eighth, Malaysia in ninth, and the US in tenth.