The Gulf nation has made significant progress in the World Passport Power Rankings.

Qatar has climbed three places in the World Passport Power Rankings, positioning itself in 52nd place on a global list.

The Qatari passport now provides citizens access to 103 visa-free destinations worldwide, with countries like Japan recently announcing visa exemption for holders of the document.

The report shows a remarkable reshuffling at the top of the rankings. In a surprising turn of events, Singapore ousted Japan from its long-held position as the world’s most powerful passport holder.

In particular, Singapore’s rise to the top has been driven by its appeal as a wealth magnet, amid recent crackdowns on private enterprise in China and growing geopolitical tensions.

Despite this allure, obtaining the privilege of the Singaporean passport is not an easy feat, with only about 23,100 citizenships granted last year.

Meanwhile, for the first time in five years, Japan has been displaced from the top spot, dropping to third place as its visa-free access fell to 189 destinations.

However, it’s not just Japan experiencing significant shifts.

The United States, which held the highest rank nearly a decade ago, has slipped two places to land in eighth position.

Interestingly, the UK, which experienced a slump due to Brexit implications, has recovered significantly, leaping two places to regain the fourth position – a rank it last held in 2017.

The country offers its citizens visa-free access to a staggering 192 countries.

Following closely behind, Germany, Spain, and Italy tie for the second position with 190 countries. The third rank is shared among Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden, all with visa-free access to 189 countries.

Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom share the fourth position, granting their citizens access to 188 countries.

The fifth spot is held by Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, and Switzerland, allowing 187 countries. Australia, Hungary, and Poland come in sixth, allowing entry to 186 countries, followed by Canada and Greece at seventh with 185 countries.

The United States and Lithuania, allowing 184 countries, are in the eighth position, while Slovenia, Slovakia, and Latvia stand in ninth with access to 183 countries.

Lastly, Estonia and Iceland round off the top ten, each with visa-free access to 182 countries.

The rankings are grounded in data from the International Air Transport Association.

Open borders

Meanwhile, Qatar also managed a commendable 42nd place in the Henley Openness Index, which evaluates the number of nationalities allowed to enter a country without a prior visa.

The countries exhibiting the most significant negative discrepancy between their visa-free access and openness to other nations include Somalia, Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Burundi, and Nepal.

On the other hand, those showing the smallest discrepancy are Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong (SAR China), and Barbados.