Bangladesh moves up 3 places in strong passport index

Bangladesh's passport has climbed three notches up in the latest global passport ranking, but it remains among the world's weakest travel documents, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to only 35 destinations.

Bangladesh has climbed three spots in the latest global passport power rankings, placing joint 97th alongside North Korea for 2026, according to data published on the official website of London-based firm Henley & Partners on Tuesday. Despite the rise in position, Bangladeshi passport holders now experience visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to fewer destinations compared to last year.

The Henley Passport Index measures the strength of passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without prior visa requirements, evaluating 199 world passports against 227 global travel destinations. Under the current index, Bangladeshi and North Korean citizens enjoy visa-free entry to 35 countries, a reduction from the 37 destinations accessible to Bangladeshis in the previous edition. Bangladesh had ranked 100th in the 2025 index, following positions of 97th in 2024, 98th in 2020, and 108th, 103rd, and 101st across 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively.

Singapore has retained the top position globally, granting its passport holders seamless travel to 192 visa-free destinations. Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates share second place with access to 188 destinations, followed immediately by Sweden in third place with 187 destinations.

The fourth spot is occupied by eleven nations—Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Spain—each permitting visa-free travel to 186 countries. Austria, Greece, Malta, Portugal, and Switzerland sit in fifth place with 185 destinations, while Hungary, Poland, and the United Kingdom rank sixth with 184 destinations. Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Latvia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Slovakia, and Slovenia tied for seventh place with 183 destinations.

Further down the upper spectrum, Croatia and Estonia are ranked eighth with access to 182 countries, Liechtenstein and Lithuania hold ninth place with 181, and Iceland alongside the United States share tenth place with 180 visa-free travel destinations. Latin American partners Argentina and Brazil share 16th place with 169 destinations. War-torn Ukraine and Russia rank 31st and 42nd, affording visa-free access to 142 and 114 destinations respectively. Israel stands at 18th with 166 destinations, whereas Iran and Palestine tied for 96th with 37 countries. Saudi Arabia stands at 54th, China and Kosovo hold joint 60th with access to 83 destinations, and Vietnam and Haiti are tied at 87th.

Across South Asia, the Maldives commands the strongest passport, placing 52nd globally with access to 93 countries without a prior visa. India ranks second regionally and 81st globally with 55 visa-free destinations, followed by Bhutan at 88th with 47 destinations, Myanmar at 91st with 43 destinations, and Sri Lanka at 94th with 39 destinations.

Behind Bangladesh's 97th position, Nepal ranks 98th globally with access to 34 visa-free locations, while Pakistan lags at 101st with 29 destinations. At the absolute bottom of the global rankings, Iraq stands at 102nd with 28 destinations, Syria sits at 103rd with 25, and Afghanistan ranks last at 104th, offering its passport holders access to just 22 destinations without prior visa arrangements.