Pakistani passport ranked fourth worst in world

For the third consecutive year, the Pakistani passport has been ranked the ‘fourth worst’ by this year’s Henley Passport Index, a ranking of the world’s 199 passports according to the number of destinations their owners can access without a prior visa.

Pakistan, unfortunately, fails to gain trust and respect at the international level as reflected by its passport which was again ranked as the fourth worst in the world after gaining the 100th spot, according to the Henley Passport Index.

This ranking – based upon the number of destinations their owners can access without a prior visa and covers 199 passports – comes with a score of 33 for the fourth consecutive year above only Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan which obtained 30, 29, and 27 points respectively.

Meanwhile, the arch-rival India occupies the 80th spot jointly with Senegal and Togo with 57 visa-free destinations.

When it comes to the strongest passport, Singapore again topped the list this year with a score of 192 – a position previously held by Japan as the residents of the Southeast Asian city-state enjoy visa-free entry to 192 destinations.

The second spot is occupied jointly by Germany, Italy, and Spain with a score of 190 followed by Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden tied as third in the ranking. They have 189 visa-free destinations.

With a score of 187, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are ranked fourth while the fifth spot is held by Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland.

However, the passport of the United States – the most powerful nation in the world – is no more that much powerful as it has dipped to the eighth spot with a score of 184 in ranking since 2014 when it was No 1 on the planet. This slide from the first to the eighth position is the worst performance for any passport.

In the latest ranking, Pa­­kistan’s travel docum­ent is only ranked higher than those of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s passport permits visa-free access to 33 states, Syria’s gives access to 30 destinations, Iraq’s allows travel to 29 and Afghanistan’s travel document only affords the bearer access to 29 destinations. The top spot belongs to Singapore, as its passport provides citizens visa-free access to 192 destinations.

Germany, Italy and Spain tied for 2nd place, with each passport allowing access to 190 destinations.

In 2022, the top spot was taken by Japan, which has now moved down to number three. It shares this rank with Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden, all of whose passports provide citizens visa-free access to 189 destinations.

Of the countries in the Top 10, the US has seen the biggest fall in its ranking over the past decade, plummeting from 2nd place to 8th.