ISLAMABAD: The list of the world’s most powerful and weakest passports has been released.
According to the latest ranking by the global organization Henley Passport Index, the world’s most powerful passport is that of Singapore, which allows citizens to travel to 192 countries without a visa.
In second place are Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, whose citizens have visa-free access to 187 countries, while Norway and Switzerland stand out with 185 countries. European countries lead the way in passport strength overall, and the European Union averages visa-free access to 183 countries, which is the same as Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
Afghanistan ranks first among the weakest passports, where citizens can travel to only 23 countries without a visa. Syria, Iraq and Pakistan are in second, third and fourth place respectively, and Pakistani passport holders can travel visa-free to 31 countries.
According to the report, factors such as political instability, conflicts and increasing migration trends play an important role behind weak passports. According to experts, the strength of a passport reflects a country’s diplomatic status, economic stability, and global relations, and citizens with strong passports enjoy greater freedom of travel globally.
