Canadian passport ranked more powerful than the U.S.
'Countries at the top of the ranking however must work to maintain it, or they will be overtaken. Looking back slightly further, the U.S. was number one on the ranking in 2014, but by only gaining net access to 8 destinations since then, the U.S. has fallen by 9 spots as other top ranking countries outpaced them,' said Souad Ouared, associate director, private clients at Henley & Partners Canada, in an emailed statement to National Post on Friday.
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'Japan on the other hand has added 19 destinations to its score since 2014 and gained one spot in the ranking from 3rd to 2nd. Canada sits in the middle of these two. It was ranked 2nd in 2014 and has lost 6 places since then, with a net access gain of 11 destinations.'
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The ranking shows travellers the relative strength of the passport they hold and the global access it gives them, explained Ouared.
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'There are many factors that affect a passport's ranking, including countries updating their visa systems, or diplomatic relations including bi-lateral visa free agreements. It is unusual for a passport's ranking to change significantly from year to year, but rather will see a trend of incremental gains and losses over time,' she said.
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One of the recent changes that has affected Canada's ranking is the country being excluded from China's list of countries that can visit without a visa. Canadians still require a visa to visit China for tourism, business, study or work.
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Another recent change? 'The Canadian passport lost access to Brazil, with Brazil citing a lack of reciprocity as the reason,' said Ouared.
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'That being said, the Canadian passport remains one of the most powerful in the world, and it is a privilege for all who hold it, considering the broad global access it provides to key destinations.'
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Roughly 70 per cent of Canadians hold valid passports and more than 24.6 million passports are in circulation, according to data from the federal government updated in 2022.
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