ISLAMABAD (Jan 14, 2026): Pakistani passport holders can travel to a limited number of countries either visa-free or with visa-on-arrival, according to the Henley Passport Index 2026, which was released this week.
The latest ranking shows that Pakistan’s passport has improved by five positions, but it still remains among the world’s weakest passports, ranked 98th globally. Pakistani citizens can now access 31 countries without a prior visa.
According to the index, Singapore once again holds the world’s most powerful passport, allowing its citizens to travel visa-free to 192 countries.
Japan and South Korea jointly secured the second position, with their passport holders enjoying visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 188 destinations, maintaining Asia’s strong presence in global travel freedom.
The third rank is jointly held by Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, whose citizens can travel to 186 countries without a visa.
At fourth place, 10 European countries — Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway — offer their citizens visa-free access to 185 destinations worldwide.
Despite Pakistan’s slight improvement, the report highlights that Pakistani citizens can travel visa-free or with visa-on-arrival to countries such as Maldives, Kenya, Nepal, Qatar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Seychelles and Cambodia. Some island nations, including Barbados, Haiti and Micronesia, also offer relaxed visa policies, though travellers are advised to confirm requirements before departure as rules may change.
The report further notes that most of the top-ranking passports belong to European countries, while several non-European nations also performed strongly, including the United Arab Emirates (5th), New Zealand (6th), Australia (7th), Canada (8th) and Malaysia (9th).
The index underscores a growing global travel divide, where citizens of top-ranked countries enjoy increasing mobility, while those from lower-ranked nations face tighter travel restrictions.