I tend to spend far too much time reading the Daily Mail, and came across a story a few days ago ranking passports.
Passport Index is a great resources for passport information and each years ranks countries based upon visa-free countries/regions that a passport has access to. The 2017 rankings are now out.
The Most Powerful Passport in the World: Germany
German passports can access 158 countries or regions without a visa or with the ability to secure a visa upon arrival. I always chuckle that wherever I am in the world, I usually find Germans tourists there too. Perhaps the Germans are not so much a traveling people as much as a nation whose citizens have easier access to the world. But I don’t buy that…
In any case, here’s a list of the top 10 most powerful passports — but really the top three, as two are tied for #2 and seven for #3:
1. Germany (158)
2. Sweden (157)
2. Singapore (157)
3. Denmark (156)
3. Finland (156)
3. France (156)
3. Spain (156)
3. Norway (156)
3. United Kingdom (156)
3. United States of America (156)
The Least Powerful Passport in the World: Afghanistan
How about the worst 10?
189. Eritrea (36)
190. Sudan (36)
191. Bangladesh (35)
192. Sri Lanka (35)
193. South Sudan (34)
194. Ethiopia (34)
195. Somalia (30)
196. Syria (29)
197. Iraq (28)
198. Pakistan (26)
199. Afghanistan (23)
Find the complete ranking here.
Photo courtesy of Damian Bariexca / FLICKR
Uh, isn’t USA tied for 4th? Or tied for 3rd on the passport index list itself if you click your link?
Interesting that 4-10 are exactly the same, but they rank USA last of the group. Coincidence? Unlikely. There’s also only a difference of 2 between #1 and #10. I’m sure those 2 are countries that the vast majority of Americans have no desire going to.
Seems like that it’s alphabetical withing a group?
Posted this about a year ago, no H/T? 🙂
A year ago? 😉 For a list that just came out?
U.K. and USA tied in forth place with any others. On the actual list. Apparently this article failed to notice that the joint place holders are listed alphabetically.
I’ve made that clearer. Thanks for your comment.
The US being the most populous country in the first list would make it more likely to run into Americans in those countries. Of course, we are all work and no play.