ISLAMABAD – The Pakistani passport has again been ranked among the weakest in the world, placing 103rd out of 106 countries in the Henley Passport Index 2025. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Pakistan has held the position of the fourth worst passport globally.
According to the latest index released on October 7, Pakistan’s passport ranks alongside Yemen, allowing visa-free access to only 31 destinations out of 227 worldwide. Only Iraq (104th), Syria (105th), and Afghanistan (106th) rank lower.
The Henley Passport Index measures the strength of each country’s passport based on how many destinations holders can visit without obtaining a visa beforehand. Pakistan’s ranking has remained nearly unchanged since 2021, showing little improvement in international travel freedom.
In previous years, Pakistan’s passport stood at 100th place in 2024 and 2023, 109th in 2022, and 107th in 2021, with minor changes in the number of visa-free countries.
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Meanwhile, Singapore continues to lead the index, giving its citizens visa-free access to 193 destinations, followed by South Korea (190) and Japan (189).
Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland share the fourth position with access to 188 destinations, while Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands rank fifth with 187 visa-free locations.
In a surprising development, the United States dropped out of the world’s top 10 most powerful passports for the first time in 20 years, falling to 12th place with access to 180 destinations.
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Similarly, the United Kingdom slipped from sixth to eighth, while the United Arab Emirates climbed one spot to eighth place with 184 visa-free destinations.
China’s passport also declined in ranking, moving from 59th to 64th, with its visa-free access dropping from 85 to 82 destinations.
The Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and has been tracking global mobility trends for two decades.
