A Pakistani passport is in the bottom five of a worldwide list of countries enjoying visa-free/visa-on-arrival access.

Only Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq are lower on the list according to the Henley Passport Index.  India is in joint 79th position alongside Benin, Morocco, Mongolia and Armenia.

The index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. It is updated in real-time, as and when visa-policy changes come into effect.

The Palestinian Territory is placed three places higher and Yemen is one place above Pakistan (100th - with access to visa-free/visa-on-arrival to 37 countries).

Pakistan is placed at 102 with access to visa-free/visa-on-arrival to 33 countries.

Sri Lanka is in 95th position and Bangladesh on 97th with access to visa-free/visa-on-arrival to 41 countries.

Japan goes into the new year holding first place on the Henley Passport Index, with citizens enjoying visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations.

Singapore and South Korea now sit in joint 2nd place, with access to 189 destinations around the globe. Germany and France remain in 3rd place going into 2019, with a visa-free score of 188. 

Denmark, Italy, Finland, and Sweden share joint 4th place, with access to 187 destinations around the globe.

The US and the UK continue to drop down the Henley Passport Index — which is based on  authoritative data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) — and now sit in joint 6th place, with access to 185 destinations.

This is a significant fall from the 1st place position that these countries held in 2015, and while a big question mark remains over the ultimate impact of Brexit, it is unlikely that either country will reclaim the top spot anytime soon. 

Dr. Christian H. Kälin, Group Chairman of Henley & Partners, said, “Historical data from the Henley Passport Index over the past 14 years shows an overwhelming global tendency towards visa-openness. In 2006, a citizen, on average, could travel to 58 destinations without needing a visa from the host nation; by the end of 2018, this number had nearly doubled to 107.” 

China’s steady ascent up the rankings is a clear demonstration of this. In 2017, the country was ranked 85th, with citizens able to access just 51 destinations. Going into 2019, China now sits in 69th place, with access to 74 countries around the world. 

Similarly, the United Arab Emirates continues its upward trajectory, now holding top spot in the Middle East region and 22nd place globally.