Agencies
TORONTO: The Germany passport is the most powerful passport in the world, according to the 2018 passport index by Henley & Partners.
The Singapore passport ranks second, the American passport fifth and the Canadian passport sixth on the index.
The Pakistani passport is among the worst as it ranks 101 on the index, just above Afghanistan (104), Iraq (103) and Syria (102).
The Indian passport ranks 86 and the Chinese 75.
The index ranks passports on the basis of how many countries one can travel visa-free with them.
With the German passport, one can travel visa-free to 177 countries.
The Singapore passport is the second-most powerful in the world as it allows its holders to travel visa-free to 176 countries.
Passports from eight nations – Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the UK, Italy, France and Japan – are the third most powerful passports as they allow holders to travel visa-free to 175 countries.
Passports of six countries – Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain – rank fourth, allowing visa-free travek to 174 countries.
Ranking fifth, the US passport allows visa-free travel to 173 countries.
The Canadian passport ranks the sixth, allowing visa-free access to 172 countries.
With the Indian passport, ranking 86, allows visa-free travel to 49 countries, the Chinese passport, ranking 75, allows visa-free travel to 60 countries. While the Indian passport has jumped up just one place from last year, the Chinese passport has risen 10 places from last year.
The passports of Pakistan and Afghanistan allow visa-free travel to 30 or fewer countries. The Pakistani passport was the fourth worst passport last year (ranked 102), but it is the third worst this year (ranked 101).
Henley & Partners, which claims itself to is the global leader in residence and citizenship planning, says its Passport Index ranks passports on the basis of exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and extensive in-house research. It also takes inputs from leading academics, researchers, and commentators on the major global and regional trends affecting migration, mobility, and border policy.
Last year, the Singapore passport was the most powerful passport in the world.
