Bad news for Shehbaz Sharif as Pakistan’s passport ranks 4th worst globally, its position is…, India stands at..
The renowned Henley Passport Index (HPI), which ranks passports based on their global strength, has released its annual rankings. According to the list published last week, citizens from countries like Singapore can easily travel to nearly every part of the world without a visa, while, for the fourth consecutive year, Pakistan’s passport is again among the weakest in the world. This ranking represents how many countries a nation’s citizens can visit without having to acquire a visa before their travel.
What makes Pakistan’s passport the 4th weakest in the world?
The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.
Which countries have weaker passports than Pakistan?
The Pakistani passport was again ranked at 103 position and was once again tied with Yemen in this year’s ranking. This was a huge blow to Pakistan, as it is now the 4th weakest passport in the world. The index states that passport holders of Pakistan can travel visa-free to just 31 of the 227 countries.
Only three nations rank lower than Pakistan on this ranking: Iraq (104th), whose citizens can visit without a visa to 29 destinations; war-torn Syria (105th), whose citizens are limited to visa-free access to only 26 destinations; and at the bottom, Afghanistan (106th), with only 24 destinations where residents can travel visa-free. This is the fourth year in a row that the Henley Passport Index has ranked Pakistan as having the fourth weakest passport in the World.
How has the ranking of major countries like the US and UK changed?
While some countries are still fighting to achieve travel freedom, Asia has remained at the top of this ranking. Singapore has taken the top spot once again and is considered the most powerful passport in the world, with access to 193 destinations without a visa.
In the list, South Korea takes the second spot, whose citizens can travel visa-free to 190 countries. Japan is in third place, offering visa-free access to 189 destinations. After the Asian countries, European countries dominate the subsequent positions.
Next in line are individual European nations. Jointly ranked fourth are Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland, allowing travelers to access 188 different destinations without a visa. In fifth place are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands, with passports allowing visa-free access to 187 countries.
This year’s ranking revealed one of the most astonishing changes, which was the fall of influential countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. For the first time in 20 years of the Henley Passport Index, the US passport is no longer among the world’s top 10 most powerful passports. It was in 2014 when the US passport claimed the number one spot, but now it has dropped to 12th place, tied with Malaysia. American citizens can now travel visa-free to only 180 out of 227 countries around the world.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Singapore has taken the top spot once again and is considered the most powerful passport in the world, with access to 193 destinations without a visa.
- British passport has slipped to its lowest-ever ranking.
- Jointly ranked fourth are Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland, allowing travelers to access 188 different destinations without a visa.
- South Korea takes the second spot, whose citizens can travel visa-free to 190 countries.
Similarly, the British passport has slipped to its lowest-ever ranking. Once at the top in 2015, it has fallen from 6th place in July to 8th place. On the other hand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) passport has kept its remarkable rise. The UAE passport, which entered the top 10 for the first time last year, moved another spot up to 8th place, with a visa-free score of 184. In the same way, the Chinese passport dropped as well. Ranking 59th last year, it now sits at rank 64th with a drop in visa-free score of 85 to 82. For India, it is not good news either, as it drops from 80th to 85th, allowing its citizens to travel visa-free to only 57 countries.
- Singapore – 1st
- South Korea – 2nd
- Japan – 3rd
- Germany – 4th
- Italy – 4th
- Luxembourg – 4th
- Spain – 4th
- Switzerland – 4th
- Austria – 5th
- Belgium – 5th
- Denmark – 5th
- Finland – 5th
- France – 5th
- Ireland – 5th
- Netherlands – 5th
- Greece – 6th
- Hungary – 6th
- New Zealand – 6th
- Norway – 6th
- Portugal – 6th
- Sweden – 6th
- Australia – 7th
- Czechia – 7th
- Malta – 7th
- Poland – 7th
- Croatia – 8th
- Estonia – 8th
- Slovakia – 8th
- Slovenia – 8th
- United Arab Emirates – 8th
- United Kingdom – 8th
- Canada – 9th
- Latvia – 10th
- Liechtenstein – 10th
- Iceland – 11th
- Lithuania – 11th
- Malaysia – 12th
- United States – 12th
- Romania – 13th
- Bulgaria – 14th
- Cyprus – 14th
- Monaco – 15th
- Chile – 16th
- Andorra – 17th
- Hong Kong (SAR China) – 18th
- Argentina – 19th
- Brazil – 19th
- San Marino – 19th
- Israel – 20th
- Brunei – 21st
- Barbados – 22nd
- Bahamas – 23rd
- Mexico – 24th
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