Taiwan ranked 69th in latest VisaGuide passport index

Taipei, June 14 (CNA) Taiwanese passport holders can enter 100 countries and territories without a visa, ranking it 69th in the June VisaGuide Passport Index.

Taiwan has maintained its current ranking in the monthly index since January, as shown on the VisaGuide.World website.

Singapore topped the latest index, with passport holders enjoying visa-free access to 159 countries. The country has been ranked first since March.

Japan was ranked 13th in the latest index, the best performing Asian country after Singapore. Passport holders can visit 143 destinations without a visa.

Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea was ranked 31st, Hong Kong 46th, Macau 58th and China 117th.

Following Singapore, the top 10 was rounded out by Italy, Spain, France, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland.

The VisaGuide Passport Index evaluates and ranks the passports of 199 countries and territories based on various factors.

According to the VisaGuide.World website, the index uses the Destination Significance Score (DSS) mechanism as part of its ranking method. Various factors, including gross domestic product, power index, tourism index and human development index are taken into account.

The DSS is then combined with the visa requirements passport holders are subjected to, adding "layers of complexity and realism to the rankings," the website said.

Each passport is given a unique score, which it said makes the rankings more precise.