World Passport Rankings 2024-2025

The best passport in the world, which allows you to travel around the world without a visa, is a very useful asset these days. After two years of isolation and restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone wants to travel more than ever. The World Passport Rankings 2022 shows, how many countries can passport holders visit visa-free. With the right passport in hand, you're one step closer to visiting your favorite place or meeting friends living abroad.

What is the power of a passport?

Each year, international consultancy Henley & Partners publishes the Henley Passport Index, assessing which passport allows travel to the greatest number of countries without a visa. The index uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and ranks passports based on the number of countries their holders can visit visa-free.

A legal passport is the first thing we need for traveling. Other things that come to mind are a good suitcase, a bank card with cashback, and an adventurous spirit. However, on the legal front, what matters most is where you come from, or rather, where your passport is from.

You can register for a visa in advance or upon arrival. Moreover, some visas are easy to obtain, for example by applying online, while others must be obtained at the embassy after a thorough and lengthy check.

Some countries have visa agreements that allow travellers from certain countries to visit them without a visa. The agreement is between two countries or an association of countries (the EU is one example) and it usually allows citizens to stay in another country without a visa for a certain period of time.

The World's Best Passports 2022 According to the Henley Passport Index

Place Country Availability
1 Japan 192
2 Singapore 192
3 Germany 190
4 South Korea 190
5 Finland 189
6 Italy 189
7 Luxembourg 189
8 Spain 189
9 Austria 188
10 Denmark 188
11 Netherlands 188
12 Sweden 188
13 France 187
14 Ireland 187
15 Portugal 187
16 United Kingdom 187
17 Belgium 186
18 New Zealand 186
19 Norway 186
20 Switzerland 186
21 United States 186
22 Australia 185
23 Canada 185
24 Czech Republic 185
25 Greece 185
26 Malta 185
27 Hungary 183
28 Lithuania 182
29 Poland 182
30 Slovakia 182
31 Estonia 181
32 Latvia 181
33 Slovenia 181
34 Iceland 180
35 Malaysia 179
36 Liechtenstein 178
37 Cyprus 176
38 United Arab Emirates 175
39 Chile 174
40 Monaco 174
41 Romania 174
42 Bulgaria 173
43 Croatia 173
44 Hong Kong 171
45 Argentina 170
46 Brazil 169
47 San Marino 169
48 Andorra 168
49 Brunei 166
50 Barbados 162
51 Israel 159
52 Mexico 159
53 Saint Kitts and Nevis 156
54 Bahamas 155
55 Uruguay 153
56 Vatican 153
57 Seychelles 152
58 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 151
59 Antigua and Barbuda 150
60 Costa Rica 150
61 Trinidad and Tobago 150
62 Mauritius 146
63 Saint Lucia 146
64 Taiwan 145
65 Dominica 144
66 Grenada 144
67 Macau 144
68 Ukraine 143
69 Panama 142
70 Paraguay 141
71 Serbia 136
72 Peru 135
73 Salvador 134
74 Guatemala 133
75 Honduras 133
76 Colombia 131
77 Samoa 131
78 Solomon Islands 131
79 Tonga 129
80 Venezuela 129
81 Nicaragua 127
82 Tuvalu 127
83 North Macedonia 125
84 Kiribati 123
85 Montenegro 123
86 Marshall Islands 122
87 Moldova 120
88 Palau Islands 119
89 Bosnia and Herzegovina 117
90 Micronesia 117
91 Russian Federation 117
92 Georgia 115
93 Albania 114
94 Türkiye 110
95 South Africa 104
96 Belize 101
97 Qatar 98
98 Vanuatu 98
99 Kuwait 95
100 Timor-Leste 93
101 Ecuador 91
102 Nauru 89
103 Fiji 88
104 Maldives 88
105 Guyana 87
106 Botswana 86
107 Jamaica 86
108 Bahrain 84
109 Papua New Guinea 82
110 Oman 80
111 Bolivia 79
112 China 79
113 Saudi Arabia 79
114 Thailand 79
115 Namibia 78
116 Belarus 77
117 Lesotho 77
118 Suriname 77
119 Kazakhstan 75
120 eSwatini 74
121 Malawi 73
122 Kenya 72
123 Tanzania 72
124 Indonesia 71
125 Tunisia 71
126 Zambia 71
127 Dominican Republic 70
128 Azerbaijan 69
129 Gambia 68
130 Uganda 67
131 Cape Verde 66
132 Philippines 66
133 Armenia 65
134 Zimbabwe 65
135 Cuba 64
136 Ghana 64
137 Morocco 64
138 Kyrgyzstan 63
139 Sierra Leone 63
140 Mozambique 62
141 Benin 61
142 Mongolia 61
143 Rwanda 61
144 Sao Tome and Principe 60
145 India 59
146 Mauritania 59
147 Tajikistan 59
148 Burkina Faso 58
149 Gabon 57
150 Uzbekistan 57
151 Cote d'Ivoire 56
152 Senegal 56
153 Equatorial Guinea 55
154 Madagascar 55
155 Guinea 54
156 Mali 54
157 Togo 54
158 Vietnam 54
159 Butane 53
160 Cambodia 53
161 Chad 53
162 Comoros Islands 53
163 Niger 53
164 Algeria 52
165 Central African Republic 52
166 Egypt 52
167 Guinea-Bissau 52
168 Jordan 52
169 Turkmenistan 52
170 Burundi 51
171 Angola 50
172 Cameroon 50
173 Laos 50
174 Liberia 49
175 Congo (Rep.) 48
176 Haiti 48
177 Djibouti 47
178 Myanmar 46
179 Ethiopia 45
180 Nigeria 45
181 South Sudan 44
182 Eritrea 43
183 Democratic Republic of the Congo 42
184 Iran 42
185 Lebanon 41
186 Sri Lanka 41
187 Sudan 41
188 Bangladesh 40
189 Kosovo 40
190 Libya 40
191 North Korea 39
192 Nepal 37
193 Palestinian Territory 37
194 Somalia 34
195 Yemen 33
196 Pakistan 31
197 Syria 29
198 Iraq 28
199 Afghanistan 26

While the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily changed the travel industry, it has also been impacted by other factors such as internal conflicts and security concerns.Richer countries have achieved freedom of movement at the expense of poorer countries, which have faced rising barriers to entry in recent years."," the report emphasizes.

  1. The world's most powerful passports are held by citizens of Japan and Singapore, who can travel visa-free to 192 destinations. That's 165 more than passport holders from Afghanistan, which ranks last at 111th.
  2. South Korea shares second place with Germany (190 points),
  3. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain are in third place (189 points).
  4. EU countries have traditionally dominated the top of the list of the strongest passports, with the Netherlands and Sweden moving up one place to join Austria and Denmark in fourth place (with a score of 188).
  5. France, Ireland, England and Portugal are in fifth place (187 points).
  6. Sixth place is shared by Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the USA. Residents of these countries can travel visa-free to 186 countries.
  7. Seventh place is occupied by Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Greece and Malta (185 countries).
  8. There is only one country in eighth place – Hungary (183 points).
  9. However, Poland, Lithuania and Slovakia are vying for ninth place.
  10. The top 10 passports in the world are rounded out by Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia, whose citizens are allowed into 181 countries without visas.

Russia, Ukraine and Geopolitics

Surprisingly, the index of the world's most powerful passports often has a geopolitical tinge. In 2022, for example, Russia found itself among the outsiders due to sanctions, travel bans and restrictions.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian passports have gained strength as many countries have provided asylum to Ukrainian refugees.

Ukraine ranks 34th on the list with visa-free access to 143 countries—a record high for the country—while Russia currently ranks a modest 49th with visa-free access to 117 countries.

The Worst Passports of 2023

  1. The weakest passport is Afghanistan (112th place). Afghans can only visit 26 countries without a visa. Before Afghanistan are:
  2. Iraq, its passport allows entry to 28 destinations without obtaining a visa before travel.
  3. Syria – 29 countries.
  4. Pakistan - 31 countries.
  5. Yemen – 33 countries.
  6. Somalia – 34 countries.
  7. Palestine and Nepal – 27 countries.
  8. North Korea – 39 countries.
  9. Libya, Kosovo and Bangladesh – 40 countries.
  10. Sudan, Sri Lanka and Lebanon – these passports allow visa-free entry into 41 countries.