Pakistani passport has moved up two spots on the 2019 Henley Passport Index but continues to remain the fifth-worst passport globally, offering its holders visa-free access to just 33 countries.
In the newly unveiled index, Pakistan occupies the 102nd spot as compared to the 104th spot in the previous list, reflecting a two-spot jump for the green passport. However, as was the case with the 2018 index, the Pakistani passport is better than only four other countries: Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Read: History of the Pakistani passport
The Henley Passport Index is a ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association, which maintains the world’s largest and database of travel information, and it is enhanced by extensive, ongoing research by the Henley & Partners Research Department.
Japan holds top spot on the Henley Passport Index for the second year running, offering citizens visa-free access to a record 190 destinations, whereas Singapore continues to hold 2nd place, along with South Korea, which has moved up from 3rd place, with citizens able to access 189 destinations.
From the 2nd place it held at the beginning of 2018, Germany now drops to 3rd place, with access to 188 destinations. It shares this position with France.
Denmark, Italy, Finland, and Sweden share joint 4th place, with access to 187 destinations around the globe.
The UK, meanwhile, drops from 4th place to 6th place, while the US drops from 5th place to 6th place, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 185 destinations.
In further demonstrations of Asian passport power, China moved five places up the rankings from the beginning of 2018, from 74th to 69th, while Cambodia (84th), Laos (86th), and Myanmar (90th) have each moved up four places.
Elsewhere, the Indian passport occupies the 79th spot in the rankings, sandwiched between African nations Ghana and Mozambique.
The UAE climbed five places up the rankings, from 27th place at the beginning of 2018, to 22nd place currently.
Afghanistan and Iraq continue to hold joint last place, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of just 30.
The High Asia Herald is a member of High Asia Media Group — a window to High Asia and Central Asia
