World's most and least poweful passports

In 2016, the demand for Irish passport increased and The Republic of Ireland passport office issued a record breaking 700,000 passports. The increase in demand for Irish passport is being related to Brexit in June, as now, people holding Irish passport can move and work freely anywhere in Europe. While the demand for Irish passport has increased, let’s have a look at other passports that are considered the most powerful in the world.

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The Telegraph recently published a list of the most and least powerful passports in the world. This ranking was initially published by the citizenship and planning firm Henley and Partners, who determine the ranking of a country’s passport by taking in to account how many countries the bearer of its passport can travel without a visa. Turns out, German citizens have the most powerful passport of all where citizens can travel to 177 countries without a visa. The same way citizens of Britain can travel to 175 countries and US citizens to 174.

France, Italy, Spain and Finland are in third position with Sweden taking the second spot. US is fourth along with Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. Henley and Partners said,

"Generally, there was significant movement across the board with only 21 of the 199 countries listed remaining in the same rank. No country, however, dropped more than three positions, indicating that overall, visa-free access is improving around the world.”

The least powerful passport in the world is that of Afghanistan where people can only travel to 25 countries without a visa. Pakistan comes second in the least powerful passport category with citizens allowed to travel to only 29 countries without a visa.

Australia ranks 8^th amongst the countries with the most powerful passports and Australian citizens can travel to 169 countries with a visa. New Zealand beat Australia by one point coming 7^th in the ranking. Kiwis can travel to 171 countries without a visa and the country shares this rank with Greece.

According to the passport Index firm’s report, India ranked 59 in the list.

World’s Most Powerful Passports:

1. Germany, 177 countries can be visited without a visa
2. Sweden, 176
3. Finland, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, 175
4. Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, United States, 174
5. Austria, Japan, Singapore, 173
6. Canada, Ireland (Republic of), Korea (Republic of, South), Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, 172
7. Greece, New Zealand, 171
8. Australia, 169
9. Malta, 168
10. Hungary, Czech Republic, Iceland, 167

World’s Least Powerful Passports:

1. Afghanistan, 25 countries can be visited without a visa
2. Pakistan, 29
3. Iraq, 30
4. Somalia, 31
5. Syria, 32
6. Libya, 36
7. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Nepal, Palestinian Territory, Sudan, 37
8. Kosovo, South Sudan, Yemen, 38
9. Bangladesh, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Lebanon, Sri Lanka, 39
10. Burundi, Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of, North), Myanmar, 42

List of countries where Indian passport holders can visit:

Antarctica

Bhutan

Bolivia

British Virgin Islands

Cambodia

Cape Verde

Comoros Islands

Cook Islands

Djibouti

Dominica

Ecuador

El Salvador

Ethiopia

Fiji

FYRO Macedonia

Gambia

Georgia

Grenada

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Haiti

Hong Kong

Indonesia

Iraq (Basra)

Jamaica

Jordan

Kenya

Laos

Macau

Madagascar

Maldives

Mauritius

Micronesia

Montserrat

Mozambique

Nauru

Nepal

Nicaragua

Niue

Palau

Samoa

Sao Tome & Principe

Seychelles

South Korea (Jeju)

St. Kitts & Nevis

St. Lucia

St. Vincent & Grenadines

Svalbard

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Timor Leste

Togo

Trinidad & Tobago

Turks & Caicos Islands

Tuvalu

Uganda

Vanuatu