For the fourth consecutive year, Pakistan’s passport has been ranked fourth worst in this year’s Henley Passport Index, which ranks 199 world passports based on the number of destinations their holders can visit without a prior visa.
According to the latest ranking published on Tuesday, Pakistan’s passport is placed at 100th place and tied with Yemen. It sits above only Iraq (101st), Syria (102nd) and Afghanistan (103rd) and maintains the same position as last year.
Pakistani and Yemeni passports allow visa-free access to 33 countries. In comparison, Iraqi passports allow travel to 31 destinations, Syrian passports allow entry to 28 countries, and Afghan passports only allow entry to 26 destinations.
“Afghanistan remains firmly entrenched as the world’s weakest passport, losing access to other destinations over the past six months, leaving its citizens with visa-free access to just 26 countries – the lowest score ever for a 19-year-old. index,” the press release said.
The Singapore passport continues to top the list, allowing visa-free entry to 195 destinations, a new record.
In second place are Germany, Italy, Japan, France and Spain, each providing access to 192 destinations. Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea and Sweden share third place with 191 destinations.
The UK is in 4th place along with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland, all offering access to 190 countries. The United States of America is in 8th place with access to 186 destinations.
The United Arab Emirates entered the top 10 for the first time, whose passport now offers visa-free access to 185 destinations. This marks a significant increase from the previous position of 62nd to 9th, reflecting an impressive increase of 53 places.
The press release quoted Henley & Partners CEO Dr Juerg Steffen as saying that the UAE’s “meteoric rise” was the result of “a deliberate and focused effort by the Emirati government to position the UAE as a global hub for trade, tourism and investment.”
“Our research has consistently shown a strong correlation between a country’s visa-free rating and its economic prosperity. Nations with higher visa-free travel scores tend to enjoy higher GDP per capita, increased foreign direct investment and stronger international trade relations.
