Pakistani passport ranks fourth lowest in world
PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan has been ranked 94th, sharing the slot with Somalia, in terms of passport strength while the UAE has topped the list of the world's most powerful ones.
According to the list issued by Arton Capital, a Pakistani passport only mandates travel to 44 countries without a visa.
Below Pakistan are Iraq (ranked 95th), Syria (ranked 96th) and Afghanistan (ranked 97th).
In comparison, the passports of Yemen (93rd), Bangladesh (92nd), North Korea, Libya and Palestine (91st) and Iran (90th) have been declared more powerful than that of Pakistan.
However, the passport of the UAE has been declared the most powerful across the world.
UAE nationals can travel to 180 countries without a visa.
Read more: Pakistani passport ranked fourth worst in the world
Citizens of other countries, including the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and other countries do not require a visa to visit 173 countries.
Similarly, the people of the US, Poland, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal and Norway can travel to 172 countries without a visa.
With current travel restrictions in place, Russia does not make an appearance until 35th on the list -- slipping one spot since 2021 --with visa-free access to 122 destinations.
Ukraine maintained its spot at 20th, but it increased its visa-free access to 144 destinations from 127 in 2021.
It is worth mentioning that the passports of every country in the world became powerful during this year because they are trying to acquire economic benefits by making travel facilities easier.
Unlike the Henley Passport Index, which has Japan at the top of its 2022 rankings, Arton Capital’s Passport Index updates its rankings in real time as new visa waivers and changes are implemented, showing the current effects that Covid-19 travel bans and the war in Ukraine have on global mobility right now.
After slipping down the rankings in recent years, the UAE has made an impressive comeback in 2022.
The lifting of Covid-19 border closures is one reason, but the UAE also received a boost thanks to subsidising country pavilions at the Expo 2020 Dubai for lower-income nations in exchange for visa-free agreements.
These rankings already show a significant rebound in mobility around the world.
During 2020, the world’s most powerful passports allowed visa-free entry to just 112 destinations.
Belgium, Finland, Austria, Luxembourg, Spain, Ireland, the UK, and Switzerland shared the top ranking that year.
When these temporary restrictions are removed, travel freedom for holders of many of these powerful passports looks very different.
For example, in the Henley Passport Index, which released its most recent rankings on July 19, 2022 without factoring in Covid-19 border closures or other travel restrictions, the US has access to 186 destinations, putting it at seventh on that list.
(With input from agencies)