Index Indicates India’s position at 85, while Pakistan is ranked in the 106th spot.
London-based travel company Henley & Partners has released an assessment of passports in 2023. The ranking places Pakistan’s Pakistani passport among the five most shabby tickets of the 109 countries included, CNN reported Tuesday.
Only 35 of the 227 destinations listed permit Pakistani passport holders to travel visa-free or visa-on-arrival entries, followed by Syria (25 locations), Iraq (29 goals), and Afghanistan (27 places).
But, in contrast to Pakistan, India ranks far higher and is placed on 85, according to an updated quarterly report from the firm based in London.
Japan‘s passport, as per Henley, is at the top among visas granting travelers the freedom to travel freely for citizens and passport holders.
The three top most powerful passports belong to Asian countries. Of the three, Japanese access gives its holders the highest degree of worldwide travel freedom and tickets from Singapore and South Korea.
Japanese passports grant citizens of Japan visa-free access or visa-on-demand to a staggering 193 countries in the world. Singapore and South Korea follow suit as citizens of these countries can travel freely to 192 countries.
Following the three Asian countries, the ones with the strongest passports are mostly European.
Passports issued from Germany and Spain permit holders to travel to 190 countries, then Italy, Luxembourg and Finland, allowing nationals to travel to 189 nations easily.
In 5th place, the passports of Denmark, Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands have been tied, while access from France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom are at number six.
Unexpectedly, it is surprising that the US passport is listed in 7th place, along with visas issued by Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.
The last item on this list lies the Afghan passport. It grants Afghan citizens to travel visa-free or with visa-on-arrival access to just 27 countries around the globe.
The best passports to get in 2023 are:
1. Japan (193 destinations)
2. Singapore, South Korea (192 destinations)
3. Germany, Spain (190 destinations)
4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (189 destinations)
5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden (188 destinations)
6. France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom (187 destinations)
7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States, and Czech Republic (186 destinations)
8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)
9. Hungary, Poland (184 destinations)
10. Lithuania, Slovakia (183 destinations)
The most unfavorable passports to own in 2023 are:
Countries that permit visa-free travel or visa-on-arrival access for 40 or fewer countries.
102. North Korea (40 destinations)
103. Nepal, Palestinian territory (38 goals)
104. Somalia (35 goals)
105. Yemen (34 goals)
106. Pakistan (32 locations)
107. Syria (30 goals)
108. Iraq (29 goals)
109. Afghanistan (27 places)
Pandemics and Travel
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), tourism was one of the leading industries in the global economy prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. It was responsible for 10% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and over 350 million jobs worldwide.
The pandemic, however, and the subsequent suspension of most international flights led to an incredibly low number of travelers to international destinations.
The Henley Passport Index, based on information obtained from International Air Transport Association (IATA), also states that worldwide travel is at approximately 75% of levels before the pandemic.
The Asia-Pacific has finally allowed travelers to travel within and out of the region it is likely that residents from the Asian countries that have passports with the strongest security are likely to benefit from this travel freedom.
Other indexes
It is important to remember to keep in mind that Henley & Partner list is only one of many indexes developed by different financial companies to rank passports based on the accessibility offered by their customers.
Another index, called the Arton Capital’s Passport Index, ranks the passports of 193 nations that belong to the United Nations, along with six territories which include ROC Taiwan Macau (SAR China), Hong Kong (SAR China), Kosovo, Palestinian Territory and the Vatican.
The index is regularly updated all year long; however, the information is gathered through the websites of individual governments.
According to Arton Capital’s founder Armand Arton, the index is an instrument “for people who travel, to provide accurate, simple-to-access information for their travel needs.”
Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2023 puts in the top spot the passport of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 181.
The second position on the list belongs to the 11 most European countries. This includes Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and South Korea.
The list places the US as well as the UK as number three. This position is shared with Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Poland, Ireland and New Zealand.