Global Passport Index Ranking: Hong Kong Fell to 54th

Nomad Capitalist, a U.S.-based tax and immigration consulting company, recently released the Nomad Passport Index 2023. The Hong Kong (HK) passport fell from 44th place last year to 54th this year, while the United Arab Emirates jumped 31 places to the top of the list, while Macau, Taiwan, and China ranked 70th, 72nd, and 128th, respectively.

Some academics say that the drop in the ranking of HK passports has undoubtedly cast a shadow on the international image of Hong Kong.

The report rates passports issued by countries around the world in five areas, including the number of travels (50 percent), taxation (20 percent), freedom (10 percent), perception (10 percent), and dual citizenship (ten percent).

The HK passport scored 92 points this year, dropping from 45th to 54th globally. According to the report, the HK passport can enter 108 countries without a visa, 42 countries with a visa on arrival, and six countries with electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), for a total of 156 destinations. Another 94 countries require a physical or electronic visa to enter.

Regarding the degree of freedom, the report measures mandatory military service, government surveillance, press freedom, and other factors to determine the personal freedom of citizens, travelers, and ex-pats, with scores from 10 to 50. Hong Kong scored 30 out of 50, which is a medium level.

In terms of perceptions, the report relied on the World Happiness Report, the Human Development Index, and subjective factors from our networks’ experiences. This was to determine how each country’s citizens are received and recognized. For example, Hong Kong scored 20 in this category, which the report says means that Hong Kong citizens experience intermediate hostility—the lowest score of ten means that citizens of that country are denied entry by many countries. In contrast, the happiest countries in the world received the highest score of 50, with the least hostility toward their citizens.

Regarding taxation, since the Hong Kong government does not tax residents’ overseas income, the HK passport scores 40 out of a possible 50 points, with only fully tax-exempt countries receiving full marks.

Regarding dual citizenship, the report says that Hong Kong citizens are strictly prohibited from holding other citizenship, so they only get 10 out of 50 points.

United Arab Emirates Jumps to Top of the List

First to eighth on this year’s list are the United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Czech Republic, and New Zealand. At the same time, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands are also ranked 9th. In addition, last year’s No. 1 Luxembourg dropped to 2nd place this year, while the United Arab Emirates jumped from 32nd to 1st. The United States sits at number 43, while the United Kingdom is in a group of 3, with Monaco and Singapore in 30th place.

The report states that UAE passport holders can enter 181 countries on a “visa-free,” “visa-on-arrival,” or “eTA” basis, while 69 countries require a physical or electronic visa to enter. The UAE does not tax residents, so it scored a perfect 50 in this category. In addition, the United Arab Emirates received medium freedom, perception, and dual citizenship scores.

Chinese Passport Have Only 30 Visa-free Countries

China, Macau, and Taiwan ranked 128th, 70th, and 72nd this year, with China dropping six places year-on-year and Macau and Taiwan dropping three spots. The report describes China as restricting freedom and prohibiting citizens from holding dual nationality. Chinese passport holders can only enter 30 countries visa-free, 52 nations on “visa-on arrival,” and three countries with an eTA, for a total of 85 countries.

The report describes a moderate degree of freedom, a ban on dual citizenship, and no taxation of residents’ overseas income in Macau. Macau passport holders have visa-free access to 90 countries, visa-on-arrival to 44 countries, and eTA to 4 countries for 138 countries. Another 112 countries require a physical or electronic visa for entry.

The report describes a moderate degree of freedom for Taiwan, allowing dual citizenship to some extent and not taxing residents’ overseas income. Taiwan passport holders can enter 76 countries visa-free, 51 nations on “visa-on-arrival,” and seven countries with an eTA, for a total of 134 countries. Another 116 countries require a physical or electronic visa for Macao passport holders to enter.

‘A Shadow Upon Hong Kong’

Benson Wong Wai-kwok, a former assistant professor of politics and international relations at Baptist University, said in an interview with The Epoch Times on March 6 that the drop in the HK passport ranking has undoubtedly cast a shadow on the international image of Hong Kong. He noted that the report uses “intermediate hostility” to describe the perception of Hong Kong people, and the degree of freedom has also dropped to a moderate level.

Hong Kong Ranks 41st From the Bottom

In addition, the “Varieties of Democracy” project of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, recently released the “Democracy Report 2023”, in which Hong Kong’s ranking in the Liberal Democracy Index dropped from 123rd to 139th in the world, that is, the 41st lowest, and is ranked in the bottom 20 percent to 30 percent of countries in terms of democracy. The ranking of Mainland China remains unchanged, ranking 172nd in the world, or the 8th lowest. In that order, the top three countries in the world are Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

This year’s report mentions that government censorship of the media has been most severe in Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Poland, and Mauritius over the past decade.