London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners has released its quarterly report on the world’s most powerful passports, and it has ranked the Pakistani passport as the fourth worst in the world. Pakistani citizens can only enter 32 countries without needing a visa in advance, which puts them behind only Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria in terms of travel freedom. CNN reported on the findings, highlighting the challenges that citizens of certain countries face in terms of global travel.
On the other hand, a trio of Asian passports were ranked as the most powerful, offering their holders greater global travel freedom than any other countries. Japanese citizens have visa-free or visa-on-demand access to a record 193 destinations around the world. Singapore and South Korea are not far behind, with their citizens being able to freely visit 192 destinations. As Asia-Pacific opens up post-Covid, its citizens are expected to make use of this travel freedom once again.
Despite global travel being at around 75% of pre-pandemic levels, the ranking of Pakistan’s passport is a stark reminder of the challenges that citizens of certain countries face in terms of travel freedom. Pakistani citizens often have to apply for visas well in advance, making travel planning more complicated and expensive. It also serves as a reminder that not all passports are created equal, and some countries are still lagging behind in terms of global travel freedom.
The ranking of passports is an important issue, as it impacts the ability of citizens to explore new cultures, conduct business, and visit family and friends in other countries. Therefore, it is important for governments and global organizations to work towards creating greater travel freedom for all.
