MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine passport has climbed up by four spots in the third quarter of this year's Henley Passport Index, a global ranking that measures the most powerful passports in the world in terms of travel freedom of citizens from different countries.
According to the index, the Philippines has placed 74th this year, up from 78th place in 2022.
This could be due to the growing economy of the country, Henley & Partners managing director Scott Moore told CNN Philippines’ The Final Word on Wednesday.
Since the index began in 2006, the Philippines only obtained its highest ranking at 62nd in 2009. The Philippines received its lowest rankings — 80th place — in the years 2015 and 2022.
Filipinos can currently travel visa-free to 67 countries, including Southeast Asian countries.
The Henley Passport Index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and assesses 199 passports in the world.
For 2023, Singapore has overtaken Japan in terms of having the most powerful passport in the world.
Germany, Italy and Spain share second place, with citizens in each country able to travel to at least 190 countries visa-free.
Japan has slid down to 3rd place, with its passport allowing visa-free access to 189 countries, less than last year’s 193.
The Philippines' tourism sector has seen a barrage of issues in recent months following the tourism department’s launch of new a campaign slogan marred with plagiarism and messaging mishaps, as well as incidents of domestic airport and air travel inconveniences.