People who travel from country to country usually need a passport. These are normally issued by the country of residence and provide proof of identity and citizenship. A passport’s value can be measured by how many countries it allows its holder to visit. The passports of most countries are recognized by over 100 other countries.
There are other factors that can affect the value of a passport, many of them evaluated by Nomad Passport Index 2021. According to the index, the country with the worst passport is Afghanistan. (The CDC does not want you to travel to these countries.)
The places one can visit without a pre issued visa are determined largely by diplomatic ties between the country that issued the passport and the rest of the world. A U.S. passport, for example, grants its holder visa-free access to 187 countries, the seventh most of any country.
Factors that can affect the ability to travel freely from country to country include international perceptions of the traveler’s nationality, restrictions on obtaining dual citizenship, and the number of countries the traveler can enter without a visa.
The country with the passport that allows its holders entry to the fewest countries is Afghanistan at 26, though Iraq and Syria follow closely at 28 and 29, respectively. Japan is at the top of the list with 191. The data comes from the Nomad Passport Index 2021.
The World Economic Forum makes a similar measurement of passport value with slightly different results. At the top of its list are Japan and Singapore, with passports that let people travel to 192 countries. The WEF also puts Afghanistan at the bottom, followed by Iraq and Syria. (This is the poorest country in the world.)
Click here to see the country with the worst passport
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48. Mali (tied)
> Overall score: 40
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48. Tajikistan (tied)
> Overall score: 40
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48. Angola (tied)
> Overall score: 40
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44. Uzbekistan (tied)
> Overall score: 39.5
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44. Togo (tied)
> Overall score: 39.5
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44. Mauritania (tied)
> Overall score: 39.5
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44. Côte d’Ivoire (tied)
> Overall score: 39.5
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41. Guinea-Bissau (tied)
> Overall score: 38.5
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41. Jordan (tied)
> Overall score: 38.5
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41. Gabon (tied)
> Overall score: 38.5
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37. Vietnam (tied)
> Overall score: 38
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37. Senegal (tied)
> Overall score: 38
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37. Egypt (tied)
> Overall score: 38
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37. Central African Republic (tied)
> Overall score: 38
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35. India (tied)
> Overall score: 37
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35. Niger (tied)
> Overall score: 37
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32. Djibouti (tied)
> Overall score: 36.5
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32. Liberia (tied)
> Overall score: 36.5
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32. Equatorial Guinea (tied)
> Overall score: 36.5
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29. Sri Lanka (tied)
> Overall score: 36
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29. Lebanon (tied)
> Overall score: 36
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29. Burundi (tied)
> Overall score: 36
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27. Guinea (tied)
> Overall score: 35.5
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27. Chad (tied)
> Overall score: 35.5
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26. Laos
> Overall score: 35
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24. Haiti (tied)
> Overall score: 34.5
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24. Algeria (tied)
> Overall score: 34.5
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20. Bangladesh (tied)
> Overall score: 33.5
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20. Myanmar (tied)
> Overall score: 33.5
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20. Turkmenistan (tied)
> Overall score: 33.5
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20. Cameroon (tied)
> Overall score: 33.5
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18. Kosovo (tied)
> Overall score: 33
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18. Nigeria (tied)
> Overall score: 33
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17. Republic of Congo
> Overall score: 32
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16. South Sudan
> Overall score: 31.5
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15. Ethiopia
> Overall score: 31
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14. Iran
> Overall score: 30.5
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13. Dem. Rep. of Congo
> Overall score: 30
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12. Palestinian territory
> Overall score: 29.5
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11. Nepal
> Overall score: 29
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10. Sudan
> Overall score: 28
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9. Pakistan
> Overall score: 27
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7. North Korea (tied)
> Overall score: 26.5
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7. Somalia (tied)
> Overall score: 26.5
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5. Libya (tied)
> Overall score: 26
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5. Eritrea (tied)
> Overall score: 26
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4. Syria
> Overall score: 25.5
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3. Yemen
> Overall score: 23.5
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2. Iraq
> Overall score: 23
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1. Afghanistan
> Overall score: 20
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