The 2023 edition of the Henley Passport Index – the most widely-accepted rating of global travel documents – places Bangladesh’s passport at 101st position, up three places from last year.
The latest edition of the Passport Index features a total of 109 spots with some countries’ passports sharing the same ranking. Bangladesh shares the 101st position with Kosovo. In 2022, Bangladesh ranked 104th.
Interestingly enough, passports of heavily sanctioned Iran, economically devastated Lebanon and Sri Lanka, and conflict-ridden Sudan have fared better compared to that of Bangladesh – at 99th and 100th (shared) positions respectively.
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According to the 2023 Henley Passport Index, a Bangladeshi passport entitles visa-free travel to 41 destinations.
In South Asia, Bangladeshi passport is in a better position compared to those of Nepal (at 103), Pakistan (106) and Afghanistan (109). At 61, Maldives’ passport is in the best position in the region. Indian passport ranks at 85 and Bhutan’s at 90.
The top 5 ranking passports according to the Henley Index are: Japan at 1, allowing citizens visa-free access to 193 destinations; Singapore and South Korea at 2; Germany and Spain sharing the 3rd spot; Finland, Italy, Luxembourg at 4; and Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden at 5.
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The bottom 5 ranking passports as per the index are: Afghanistan at 109, Iraq at 108, Syria at 107, Pakistan at 106 and Yemen at 105.
The Henley Passport Index, the only one of its kind based on unique data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), has historical data going back 18 years. The database lists 227 travel destinations and 199 passports.
The index is updated every quarter, and is regarded as the go-to resource for global citizens and sovereign states for determining where a passport ranks on the scale of global mobility.
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Karim Waheed is the Digital Editor at UNB.