Pakistani passport ranked world's 4th worst for fourth consecutive year

The Pakistani passport has been ranked fourth worst in the world for the fourth year in a row, according to the Henley Passport Index.

The index ranks the world's 199 passports based on the number of places residents can access without prior visas.

Pakistan's travel document is tied with Yemen at 100th place, allowing visa-free access to 33 countries.

Iraq (101), Syria (102), and Afghanistan (103) have been ranked below Pakistan.

Iraq allows travel to 31 countries, Syria allows access to 28 destinations, and Afghanistan's travel document allows access to only 26 destinations.

“Afghanistan remains firmly entrenched as the world’s weakest passport, losing access to yet another destination over the past six months, leaving its citizens with access to only 26 countries visa-free — the lowest score ever recorded in history of the 19-year-old index,” a press release said.

The top spot was secured by Singapore, with its passport granting citizens visa-free access to 195 destinations.

Germany, Italy, Japan, France, and Spain came in second, with each passport allowing access to 192 destinations. 

Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden took third place, providing access to 191 destinations.

The UK ranked fourth with access to 190 countries, along with Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, while the US ranked eighth with 186 destinations.

The UAE has entered the top 10 for the first time, climbing an "impressive" 152 places since the index's inception in 2006. 

The Gulf country's current visa-free score is 185, gaining 53 countries in the ranking, and moving from 62nd to 9th position in the process.