Pak passport at bottom of global rankings

Express Tribune

4 days ago

Pakistan continues to rank among the weakest passports in the world, placing fourth from the bottom in the latest global passport index released by Henley & Partners.
Pakistani passport holders can only travel visa-free to 32 countries — a position it shared with Somalia and Yemen, collectively ranked 96th out of 199.
Meanwhile, Singapore has once again claimed the title of the world's most powerful passport.
According to the July-December 2025 edition of the Henley Passport Index, Singaporean passport holders now enjoy visa-free access to 193 countries, maintaining their lead in the global mobility score.
Two other Asian countries — Japan and South Korea — secured the joint second spot. Citizens of these countries can travel to 190 destinations without requiring a visa, highlighting Asia's growing diplomatic reach in terms of travel freedom.
The third rank was shared by six countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Spain. Nationals of these countries enjoy visa-free access to 189 countries.
Meanwhile, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal and Sweden collectively ranked fourth, offering visa-free access to 188 destinations.
Greece, New Zealand and Switzerland tied for the fifth position, with passport holders able to enter 187 countries without prior visa arrangements.
The Henley Passport Index ranks countries by the ease of international travel their citizens enjoy, based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Once considered the global gold standard for mobility, the US passport has now slipped to the 10th position — its lowest in recent memory — raising concerns that it may soon fall out of the top 10 altogether, for the first time in the index's 20-year history.
In contrast, the United Arab Emirates has emerged as a rising star. Over the past decade, its passport has climbed 34 spots, now ranking 8th.
China's travel document has also seen a remarkable 34-rank improvement over the same period, though it currently sits at the 60th spot.
At the other end of the spectrum, Pakistan continues to languish near the bottom. It was placed at 96th, tied with Somalia and Yemen, granting visa-free access to just 32 countries.
Only Iraq (97th), Syria (98th) and Afghanistan (99th) ranked lower.
Slightly above Pakistan were Nepal and Libya at 95th, followed by Palestine, Eritrea and Bangladesh in joint 94th position. North Korea (93rd), Sudan (92nd), and Sri Lanka and Iran (91st) also fared only marginally better in the global mobility landscape.