How powerful is YOUR passport?

How does your passport rank against others for travel? What is the best passport in the world?
Here I look at different lists for passports and tell you which one comes out top (spoiler: it's not the US passport!)
You've probably heard that this or that passport is the top one to have when you travel abroad. But do you know how the rankings are worked out? What factors are weighed?
Probably the best publicized list is the Henley Passport Index, which gets attention every time there's an update. But there are others: the Passport Index with its Global Passport Power Rank, and another, the List of the World's Most Powerful Passports. And the top passport is different on each of them -- because different factors are weighed each time.
But one of the more interesting lists I thought was the Quality of Nationality Index, which looks at not just how many countries someone with a particular passport can vacation in visa-free, but also how good that passport is to let you WORK or LIVE in another country, and how well the home country scores on things like human development. A much more complex matrix which is pretty useful for travelers or global nomads who want to do more than go to a beach. (Unfortunately this index hasn't been updated for a couple of years -- I wonder why?)
Anyway, dive in with me to look at passport power and how there really is a privileged tier for people with certain passports.... and how the same certain countries always rank at the bottom.
** Shot on an iPhone, edited with LumaFusion **
Music via Artlist.io
"Best of Luck" by Katrina Stone
"Time of Journey" by Yarin Primak

[@alexosminkine6044]

PS . Im not saying they are unhappy etc , Finland is a great small country but harsh climate and lack of sun are the main reasons its not on top of my list . Kiitoksia paljon .

[@petersmith2040]

It’s good that you didn’t just blindly follow the passport ranking list from Henley & Partners regarding which countries’ passports were ranked highly because it only looks at one aspect; namely, being able to travel to other countries without having to obtain visas. It really depends on personal circumstances as one size doesn’t fit all.

[@amusingaida]

Look hard enough at some of these lists -- not only for 'best passports' -- and you can spot hidden interests

[@PeterPenguin77]

I got a new American passport… but it just sat in the drawer until next time I checked, it has expired! Maybe without covid I might have dared go somewhere… and in the meantime I travel on wonderful KZbin travel programs like yours! 🎉

[@amusingaida]

Many thanks for that!

[@cadburybubblegum]

i thought u were citizenship by investment agent ... when i saw your video title

[@amusingaida]

Ha ha, not at all. Just giving an overview of the different passport ranking charts out there -- which are largely done by those companies. I come at it more from how different passports give you different levels of freedom -- but certainly not selling anything!

[@Mr_Fairdale]

You said you started out with a difficult passport. Which one?

[@Mr_Fairdale]

@@amusingaida yes, definitely a challenge there! Great video, looking forward to more videos to come :)

[@Mustafisak]

I’m from somali 🇸🇴

[@amusingaida]

Yeah... actually I DO know what it's like to have a passport on the bottom of the lists. But, as I said, determination also counts for a lot when you want to travel.

[@yc4406]

The best passport in the world is the Swiss passport for very obvious reasons!!

[@amusingaida]

I'm not sure that the Swiss passport ranks top *on the criteria used by the lists* If you're talking purely about neutrality, I guess there's an argument for Switzerland (and Austria and Ireland). Or on GDP per capita perhaps (along with Luxembourg and Leichtenstein). But the point of these lists is they look at travel freedoms, in different ways. Switzerland and all western European passports rank in the top tier, that's certain.

[@yc4406]

Let me explain, as a Swiss citizen I can tell you that wherever you go, if, unfortunately something very wrong happens to you,(Serious injuries, no money left, loss of papers...) As a Swiss citizen , you will be rescued immediately by the Swiss government and could go back safely to Switzerland! I would add that there is no animosity towards the Swiss citizens wherever they go. Not the case with many countries. This is what I would call Power... je dis cela en toute amitié:)

[@amusingaida]

@@yc4406 Sure, consular protection and reputational rankings are criteria worth looking at too when travelling. They don't constitute facilitation for travel, though, which is what these lists denote. A chacun sa defintion de pouvoir pour un passeport, bien sûr. C'est un peu mon message : attention aux critères de ces listes....

[@Avestan69]

My passport is rank the worst😅 *cries in afghan passport*

[@amusingaida]

I know what it's like to have a bad passport. It's like a passport lottery, depending on where you're born.

[@Avestan69]

@@amusingaida I was born in UAE but they don’t give citizenship no matter what so you get your parents citizenship, so sometime you need to be born in a country that actually gives citizenship

[@anastasiav.206]

​@@Avestan69 Hi, UAE is my top favorite place to have my vacations. Were you born in the UAE? If your parents are not the locals, then yes, they won't give you a passport. That's true.

[@alexosminkine6044]

Finland is a happiest country ???yeah , right ! You need to visit Finland at least once , oct-nov , may be you think otherwise .

[@amusingaida]

I'd love to visit. And I can accept that they declare themselves the happiest. I may not want to live in Finland, but I'd love to visit.

[@alexosminkine6044]

Thanks for the great videos , love the camera work , angles , content and The Hostess and her smile ) .Makes me wanna visit France . Merci !)

[@peterhanshochecker7841]

Der deutsche Reisepass ist der beste

[@amusingaida]

Er ist ein gute Reisepass, ja (how's my bad German?)

[@10uszenzen]

All white countries passport is high on the list

[@amusingaida]

Well, is that true though? I mean, passports from Japan and the UAE score very highly on the main lists. So maybe you're looking at the wrong criterion.

[@anastasiav.206]

Not really, if you have a Russian passport - get ready to ask for visa everytime for almost every nice country 😅

[@riyadougla539]

Perhaps