Best and Worst Passports for Traveling the World

March 24, 2016, Insights

passportU.S. passports are no longer viewed as the best travel documents when it comes to having the greatest potential to travel the world.  A recent study, the 2016 Visa Restrictions Index, reveals that Germany is in fact the best passport to have, allowing its citizens the ability to enter 177 out of 218 countries and territories without a visa. The United States ranked first in both 2014 and 2015, yet now holds the number four spot.  Sweden holds second place while Finland, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom are tied for third place.  Countries labeled as the worst for passport travel include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia and Syria.

Criteria countries consider when determining visa-free access to citizens of another country may include diplomatic relationships between the countries, reciprocal visa arrangements, security risks or risks of violation of visa terms, according to Henley and Partners, a consulting firm that generates the annual country passport ranking reports.

Below is a list of the best and worst countries for passports based on the number of countries citizens are allowed to visit visa-free.

World’s best passports:

1) Germany — 177

2) Sweden — 176

3) Finland, France, Italy, Spain, UK — 175

4) Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, U.S. — 174

5) Austria, Japan, Singapore — 173

6) Canada, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland — 172

7) Greece, New Zealand — 171

8) Australia — 169

9) Malta — 168

10) Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland — 167

11) Slovakia — 165

12) Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Slovenia — 164

13) Latvia — 163

14) Estonia, Lithuania — 162

15) Poland — 161

16) Monaco — 160

17) Cyprus — 159

18) San Marino — 156

19) Chile — 155

20) Hong Kong — 154

World’s worst passports:

94) Liberia — 43

95) Burundi, North Korea, Myanmar — 42

96) Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Sri Lanka — 39

97) Kosovo, South Sudan, Yemen — 38

98) Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Nepal, Palestinian Territory, Sudan — 37

99) Libya — 36

100) Syria — 32

101) Somalia — 31

102) Iraq — 30

103) Pakistan — 29

104) Afghanistan — 25