"Decline Begins from 2023"... South Korea's 'R Passport Power' Plummets to 39th Worldwide

Nomad Capitalist Releases '2025 Passport Index'
South Korea Ranked 11th in 2020, 12th in 2021-2022
Dropped to 21st in 2023, Now 39th This Year
Ranks Joint 3rd with 192 Visa-Free Agreements

South Korea ranked 39th in the '2025 Passport Index' released by the global consulting firm Nomad Capitalist. South Korea fell seven places from 32nd last year to 39th this year.

On the 2nd (local time), US CNBC reported that Ireland was selected as the country with the world's best passport in the 2025 Passport Index published by Nomad Capitalist.

This index comprehensively evaluates the value of citizenship of countries around the world and the treatment their nationals receive in travel destinations. The passport's value is assessed based on five criteria: ▲number of countries accessible without a visa (50%) ▲tax policies (20%) ▲international recognition (10%) ▲possibility of acquiring dual citizenship (10%) ▲individual freedom (10%).

This evaluation was conducted using 20 sources, including national tax authorities, the World Happiness Report, and the United Nations Human Development Index, covering 199 countries and regions. Scores were given on a scale from 10 to 50, with the visa category being an exception, represented by the number of countries accessible without a visa.

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European countries generally showed strong performance in this ranking. Switzerland and Greece tied for 2nd place following Ireland. Portugal ranked 4th, while Malta and Italy tied for 5th, with nine of the top ten countries being European nations.

South Korea ranked 29th in 2017, 21st in 2018, and 16th in 2019, rising to 11th in 2020 during the COVID-19 period. After the introduction of the next-generation electronic passport in December 2021, South Korea ranked 12th in both 2021 and 2022, but then declined to 21st in 2023 and remained at 39th this year.

Japan tied for 37th place with Malaysia, China ranked 119th, and North Korea ranked 192nd.

Meanwhile, according to the '2025 Henley Passport Index,' analyzed by the UK-based overseas citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) based on visa-free agreements among 199 countries worldwide, South Korea has visa-free agreements with 192 countries. This places South Korea in a tie for 3rd place alongside Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

Singapore ranked 1st with visa-free agreements with 195 countries, and Japan ranked 2nd with 193 countries.