The count placed Luxembourg in joint-third place with Denmark and Italy.
The ranking was based on data provided by the International Air Transport Association. Japan and Singapore placed first, while Finland, Germany and South Korea are tied for second place.
“Our ongoing research has shown that when we talk about ‘passport power’, we are not just talking about destinations to which a holder can travel without a visa. Often, there is a strong correlation between visa freedom and other benefits such as freedom of business and investment, judicial independence, tax health and property rights,” Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the passport index concept, was quoted as saying. The study was released on 1 October.
In May, consulting firm Nomad Capitalist ranked the Luxembourg passport the best out of 199, based on travel, taxation, perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.
In 2017, the country reformed the requirements for obtaining citizenship, shortening the required residency period from seven to five years and creating a separate track for those living in the country for 20 or more years and who were born and grew up there.
In 2018, some 13,185 people obtained Luxembourg nationality, up from 10,095 in 2017. French nationals were the most likely to apply for Luxembourg citizenship, according to Félix Braz, responding as justice minister to a parliamentary question in January 2019.