Three Asian countries — Singapore, South Korea, Japan — dominate the passport rankings
The Bangladeshi passport has slipped several spots in the latest global passport index, now ranking 100th—tied with North Korea—with visa-free access to 38 destinations. This marks a decline from its 94th position earlier this year.
Despite the drop, Bangladesh’s passport still ranks above those of Nepal, Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
However, it’s important to note that even though the passport has currently slipped in rankings, it has continued to steadily inch its way upwards from the 108th spot it held in 2021 – it’s lowest ranking ever. In 2022, it ranked 103rd, and 101st in 2023.
According to the Henley Passport Index, the passport ranks above Nepal (101), Somalia (102), Pakistan (103), Yemen (103), Iraq (104), Syria (105) and Afghanistan (106).
Visa-Free Destinations
Holders of a Bangladeshi passport enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 38 destinations worldwide. These include:
Bahamas, Barbados, Bhutan, Bolivia, British Virgin Islands, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Micronesia, Montserrat, Mozambique, Nepal, Niue, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, The Gambia, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Strongest passports
Three Asian countries — Singapore, South Korea, and Japan — now dominate the rankings. Singapore leads with visa-free access to 193 destinations, followed closely by South Korea (190) and Japan (189). Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland rank fourth, with visa-free access to 188 destinations. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland and the Netherlands rank fifth with 187 destinations accessible visa-free.
US Passport Reaches Historic Low
For the first time since the Henley Passport Index was established two decades ago, the United States has fallen out of the world’s top 10 most powerful passports. Once holding the No. 1 position in 2014, the American passport has now dropped to 12th place, tied with Malaysia, offering visa-free access to 180 out of 227 global destinations.
Similarly, the United Kingdom’s passport has declined to its lowest ranking ever, falling from 6th to 8th place since July, despite having shared the top position in 2015.
