Henley & Partners has recently updated its ranking of the most powerful passports, based on the number of countries their holders can visit without a visa.
On a global scale, Singapore topped the list with a score of 195, allowing its citizens to visit 195 countries and territories without a visa or with a visa on arrival.
This is followed by France with 192 visa-free countries, Germany with 193, Italy with 192, Japan with 192 and Spain with 192.
On the African continent, Seychelles ranks 24th in the world with 156 visa-free destinations, ahead of Mauritius (28th in the world with 155 destinations) and South Africa (47th in the world with 106 destinations).
At the bottom of the list are the passports of Iraq, with 31 visa-free destinations, followed by Syria with 28 and Afghanistan with 26.
The Maghreb countries’ passports are not among the most powerful in the world, mainly because of their limited access to European countries. They mainly offer facilities for travel to Africa, the South Pacific islands and some Asian countries.
The most powerful passport in the region is that of Morocco, which ranks 68th in the world, having moved up 5 places since the last ranking. It allows holders to visit 72 countries without a visa or with a visa on arrival.
It is followed by the Tunisian passport, ranked 71st in the world, which allows its holder to visit 69 countries without a visa or with a visa obtained on arrival.
The Mauritanian passport ranks 83rd in the world, allowing visa-free access to 57 countries. It is followed by the Algerian passport, which ranks 84th in the world, with only 55 visa-free destinations.
Due to the ongoing political crisis, the Libyan passport is the least powerful in the region, ranking 98th in the world and allowing its holder to visit only 39 destinations worldwide without a visa.
Henley & Partners based its ranking solely on data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Each passport was given a score according to the visa requirement for each specific destination.
A score of ‘zero’ was given if the passport holder required a visa or an approved e-visa before departure.
On the other hand, a score of ‘one’ was given if no visa was required or if it could be obtained on arrival in the foreign country.
