Kiwi passport powers to the top of travel index
New Zealand’s passport named the most powerful out of 129 countries in the world, Pakistan’s passport is named the sixth worst.
The Passport Index ranked the 193 United Nations member countries based on how many nations their passports granted visa-free access to, or allowed visitors to obtain a visa on arrival.
New Zealand is followed by Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland, South Korea, Japan and Australia, all with a score of 128.
A notable absence from the top 10 is the United States, which fell to a low of 21st place in the passport rankings.
In third place were Sweden, Belgium, France, Finland, Italy and Spain, while the UK joined the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Lithuania, Norway, Iceland and Canada in fourth place.
Most powerful passports
1. New Zealand
2. Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, South Korea, Japan, Australia
3. Sweden, Belgium, France, Finland, Italy, Spain
4. UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Lithuania, Norway, Iceland, Canada
5. Malta, Slovenia, Latvia
6. Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Liechtenstein
7. Slovakia
8. Cyprus, Croatia, Monaco
9. Romania, Bulgaria
10. San Marino, Andorra, Uruguay
Least powerful passports
1. Afghanistan, Iraq
2. Syria
3. Somalia
4. Yemen
5. Iran, Palestinian Territories
6. Pakistan
7. Myanmar, North Korea
8. Ethiopia, Lebanon, Libya, Nepal, Eritrea
9. Bangladesh, South Sudan
10. Sudan
