Web Desk: The latest list of the Henley Passport Index 2026 has been released, which ranks the most powerful and weak passports around the world.
This year’s report highlights global travel freedom trends, visa policies of different countries and the importance of passports, which is considered an authoritative ranking at the international level.
According to the report, Singapore once again holds the world’s most powerful passport, allowing Singaporean citizens to travel to 192 countries visa-free or with a visa on arrival, the highest level of travel freedom globally. According to experts, Singapore’s strong economy, strong diplomatic relations and global trust have earned it this position.
Japan and South Korea are jointly at second place on the list. The passports of these two countries have visa-free or easy visa facilities to 188 countries. Thus, Asian countries have once again maintained their lead in global travel freedom, reflecting the region’s growing economic and diplomatic power.
In third place are five European countries, Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, whose citizens can travel to 186 countries without a visa. In fourth place are 10 more European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and others. The passports of these countries provide visa-free access to 185 countries.
According to the report, European countries continue to dominate the top rankings, but non-European countries such as the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Malaysia also occupy prominent positions. The United Arab Emirates in particular has seen significant improvement due to significant progress at the diplomatic level in the past few years.
Although the ranking of the Pakistani passport has improved by 5 places, Pakistan is still among the weakest passports in the world. According to the Henley Passport Index 2026, Pakistan ranks 98th, and Pakistani citizens can currently travel to about 31 countries visa-free or with a visa on arrival, a facility that remains limited but shows slight improvement.
These countries include Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Qatar, Rwanda, Seychelles and Cambodia. In addition, some island countries such as Barbados, Haiti and Micronesia are also among the countries where Pakistani citizens can enter without prior visa or with a visa on arrival.
Although the improved ranking of the Pakistani passport marks a positive development, Pakistan needs strong diplomatic relations, economic stability, and a climate of global trust to achieve a significant increase in travel freedom. He also warned that visa policies of different countries change from time to time, so it is important to confirm the latest information from the relevant embassy or authoritative sources before any trip.
Read more: Big relief, Petroleum prices likely to fall
