Bangladeshi Passport Again 9th Weakest Globally

The Bangladeshi passport once again ranked as the ninth weakest globally as its holder can travel to just 41 out of 227 destinations around the world without a prior visa, according to the third-quarter edition of the Henley Passport Index 2022.

The index, released on Tuesday by Henley & Partners, placed Bangladesh at the 104th position among 112 spots. Kosovo and Libya are also sharing the same position.

The position remained the same in the second-quarter edition of the index published in April this year.

Bangladesh, however, ranked 103rd among 111 spots in the first-quarter edition of the index published in January this year.

In the fourth-quarter edition of the 2021 index, Bangladesh was in the 108th position among 116 spots in the index released last October.

According to the index, among the 41 destinations that a Bangladeshi passport holder can travel to without a prior visa, 16 are in Africa, 11 in the Caribbean, seven in Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), six in Asia, and one in South America.

With a Bangladeshi passport, it is not possible to visit any European country without a prior visa.

Meanwhile, the Japanese passport continues to top the index as its holders are allowed to go to a record 193 destinations visa-free.

Singapore and South Korea came in 2nd place jointly, with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 192.

Germany and Spain jointly hold third place, with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 190.

Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg, share the fourth place, as their passport holders are able to access 189 destinations around the world without having to acquire a visa in advance.

Updated quarterly, the recent edition of the index ranked passports of 199 countries in 112 spots according to the number of destinations their holders can travel to without a prior visa.

The index is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association.

The passport of the Maldives is the most powerful in South Asia (ranked 63rd), enabling visa-free entry to 89 countries, followed by India (87th), Bhutan (93rd), and Sri Lanka (103rd).

Bangladesh is in the fifth position in South Asia, above Nepal (106th) and Pakistan (109th).

Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the ranking in South Asia and also in the world. Its passport holders can visit only 27 destinations worldwide without acquiring a visa in advance.