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28 March 2024

World's most and least powerful passports revealed

Published
By Vicky Kapur

The latest edition of the Passport Index – a ranking system to reveal the benefits of each passport from around the world – reveals the world’s most and least powerful passports based on visa-free access afforded to passport-holders.

The new Index compares passports from 199 countries including the 193 United Nations member countries as well as the Republic of China, Kosovo, Palestine, and The Vatican.

The Passport Index positions countries based on the power of each passport, determined by a three-tier method which combines a ranking for ‘Visa-free’ travel, together with ‘Visa on arrival’ ratio, with the country’s score as attributed by United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index to take account of the jurisdiction’s international perception.

According to immigration advisory firm Arton Capital, which has created the Index, the rankings serve to understand and visualise the power of each passport on the holder’s identity, opportunity, mobility and overall quality of life.

The UAE tops the region in terms of Passport Power, and is ranked at No. 27 worldwide.

Read: Revealed: World's most powerful passports; UAE races ahead

Here below is a list of 25 most and least powerful passports in the index, along with the number of countries that their holders can access visa-free.

World’s 25 Most Powerful Passports

• Germany: 157

• Sweden: 157

• Finland: 156

• Italy: 156

• Switzerland: 156

• France: 156

• Spain: 156

• United kingdom: 156

• Denmark: 155

• Netherlands: 155

• Belgium: 155

• South Korea: 155

• Norway: 155

• Singapore: 154

• Luxembourg: 154

• Austria: 154

• Portugal: 154

• United States of America: 154

• Greece: 153

• Ireland: 153

• Japan: 153

• Canada: 152

• New Zealand: 152

• Malta: 150

• Czech Republic: 150

• Hungary: 150

• Iceland: 150

• Australia: 150
 
World’s 25 Least Powerful Passports

• Afghanistan: 25

• Pakistan: 28

• Iraq: 31

• Somalia: 32

• Syria: 34

• South Sudan: 36

• Sudan: 37

• Ethiopia: 37

• Libya: 37

• Iran: 37

• Palestinian Territories: 37

• Bangladesh: 37

• Eritrea: 37

• Sri Lanka: 37

• Nepal: 39

• Kosovo: 40

• North Korea: 40

• Lebanon: 40

• Democratic Republic of Congo: 40

• Djibouti: 42

• Myanmar (Burma): 42

• Burundi: 42

• Yemen: 43

• Congo: 44

• Laos: 44

Below are some the other major passports (not included in the lists above) that the UAE’s expats hold, with the number of countries that their holders can access visa-free:

• South Africa: 90

• Philippines: 61

• India: 51

• Egypt: 51

• China: 50

Didn’t find your passport listed above? Check the Passport Index here: