Bangladesh’s position in the global passport index has declined this year, dropping three places from 97th to 100th. This rank is shared with Libya and Palestine. The UK-based consultancy firm Henley & Partners released the index, which evaluates the strength of passports from 199 countries based on International Air Transport Association (IATA) data. The ranking measures how many destinations can be accessed without a visa or with a visa-on-arrival.

The 2023 index reveals that Bangladeshi passport holders can travel to 40 destinations out of 227 without a visa or with a visa-on-arrival. However, they cannot travel visa-free to any European country. Among South Asian nations, the Maldives ranks highest at 53rd, with visa-free access to 94 countries, followed by India (85th), Bhutan (90th), and Sri Lanka (96th).

Singapore tops the list as the world’s most powerful passport, allowing its citizens visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 195 destinations. Japan ranks second with access to 193 destinations, while Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Spain jointly hold third place, offering access to 192 countries. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden share the fourth spot, enabling travel to 191 destinations. The fifth spot is jointly held by Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, whose passports grant access to 190 destinations.

At the bottom of the index is Afghanistan (106th), with its citizens able to access only 26 countries without a visa. Other low-ranking nations include Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Pakistan.