Calculation methodologyProsperous Passport Index
An independent passport power index — transparent data sources and publicly disclosed scoring methodology.
The Prosperous Passport Index ranks the passport power of199 countries and territoriesbased on the number of destinations accessible to citizens with ease. The entire index is compiled fromnon-commercial public sources, entirely independent of any commercial rankings.
Scope of comparison
The index includes 199 entities: 193 United Nations member states along with Taiwan, Kosovo, Palestine, Vatican, Hong Kong and Macau. Each passport is benchmarked againstthe remaining 198 destinations(excluding itself). Therefore, the five groups below for each country always add up to exactly 198.
Formula
Only three groups permitting travel without a prior visa application (or processed upon arrival) are counted towards the score.e-VisaandVisa requireddo not add to the power score, as both require completing authorization procedures prior to travel.
Definitions of the five groups
| Group | Meaning | Scored |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-Free | Entry without prior visa application (including time-limited visa-free access and freedom of movement). | Yes |
| VOA | Visa issued at the port of entry upon arrival. | Yes |
| ETA | Electronic travel authorisation — simple online registration prior to departure (e.g. Canada’s eTA, Australia’s ETA/eVisitor). Distinct from an e-Visa. | Yes |
| e-Visa | Must apply for an e-visa prior to departure. | None |
| Visa Required | Must apply for a traditional visa prior to travel. | None |
Priority rule:when a destination offers multiple options (for example, “e-Visa or visa on arrival”), the index selects the most advantageous option and awards the score — in this example, Visa on Arrival.
Data sources
| Role | Source |
|---|---|
| Primary source | Wikipedia pages “Visa requirements for [nationality] citizens” — licenceCC BY-SA, compiled by the community and directly referenced from notices issued by national immigration authorities. |
| Cross-reference source | Open databaserestcountries.comfor ISO codes, population and area. |
| Arbitration | Official websites of national immigration authorities when sources conflict. |
Data transparency
Of a total of 39,402 visa relationships (199 × 198),97% are sourced directlyfrom the corresponding Wikipedia tables. The remaining approximately 3% — destinations that the source table does not list for a specific passport — are treatedconservatively as “Visa required”and therefore do not add to the power score. This approach ensures each passport is cross-referenced against exactly 198 destinations without ever inflating the results.
Updates & notes
- Data is periodically reviewed against sources.
- Visa policies may change at any time; the index is for reference only.
- Please recheck with diplomatic missions before each trip.