'Pakistani passport fourth worst in world,' says Henley Index
In the newly unveiled rankings, Pakistan is ranked only higher than conflict-ravaged Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, which occupies the bottom spot
Representational image. ANI
Islamabad: The Henley Passport Index which ranks all the world's 199 passports, has termed the Pakistani passport as the fourth-worst in the world.
In the newly unveiled rankings, Pakistan is ranked only higher than conflict-ravaged Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, which occupies the bottom spot, reported Dawn.
Afghan passport holders can access just 27 destinations, the passport having the lowest visa-free score. Among other bottom-tier countries, the holders of Iraqi passports are able to gain entry to a mere 29 countries and those of Syrian passports to 30.
It is pertinent to note that last year too Pakistani passports were placed at the same ranking by the Henley index, providing access to only 32 destinations, according to the Henley Passport Index for 2022.
The top spot was taken by Japan, with the country's passport providing its holder access to 193 destinations. Next in line are Singapore and South Korea, whose passports provide access to 192 countries, followed by Germany and Spain, with their passports having a visa-free score of 190.
Among other top-ranked countries are mostly European nations, the US and the United Kingdom.
Among other countries from Asia, India, along with Mauritius and Tajikistan, has been ranked 87th, with its passport providing access to 67 countries.
China ties with Bolivia for the 69th spot, with each of their passports allowing access to 80 destinations.
As for Bangladesh, it occupies the 104th position -- five spots higher than Pakistan -- with its passport holders having access to 41 countries, Henley Passport Index reported.
The rankings are based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
Originally created by Christian H Kaelin (chairman of Henley & Partners), the ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world's largest and most accurate database of travel information.
It was launched in 2006 and includes 199 different passports.
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