Somalia, Nepal, and Palestine Surpass Pakistan in Recent Passport Rankings
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Islamabad, Jan 9 (NationPress) The Pakistani passport still ranks among the most disadvantaged in the world on the 2025 Henley Passport Index (HPI), which assesses all international passports based on the number of destinations they can enter without a visa, relying on exclusive Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Ranked 103rd on the index, Pakistan, the fifth most populated country globally, is outperformed by Somalia, Nepal, Palestine, Libya, and North Korea. The only nations with weaker passports than Pakistan are Iraq (104), Syria (105), and Afghanistan (106).
Pakistani citizens face significant challenges when traveling abroad, compounded by exceptionally high visa rejection rates, with access to only 33 visa-free destinations.
Leading the index is Singapore, whose passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations worldwide.
The research indicates that Pakistan (49.6 percent) and Bangladesh (43.3 percent) rank among the top 10 countries experiencing the highest rejection rates for Schengen visas.
For many years, numerous countries have imposed strict restrictions and bans on Pakistani passports, resulting in frequent visa denials for travelers from the country.
Notably, the latest index was published coinciding with Saudi Arabia's announcement requiring Pakistani travelers to present a polio vaccination certificate.
Additionally, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has mandated that visa applicants from Pakistan submit a police character certificate.
Several Gulf nations have also enforced visa bans on Pakistanis due to issues related to crime, fraud, and begging.
Pakistan consistently sends a number of questionable travelers abroad, many of whom become asylum seekers, illegal drug traffickers, beggars, or human traffickers in foreign lands.
In the past, over 4000 Pakistani beggars have been apprehended in Saudi Arabia, particularly in Mecca and Medina, during Umrah and Haj processions. Numerous Pakistanis have also been detained for drug-related offenses and other illegal activities.
Recently, 51 deported Pakistanis arrived in Karachi from seven different countries, and 30 passengers were offloaded from international flights at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport on Tuesday night due to irregularities with their travel documents, according to immigration officials speaking to Geo News.
The ongoing decline in Pakistan's passport ranking highlights the urgent need for reforms in governance, security, and diplomatic relations to restore credibility in its travel documentation. Enhanced international cooperation and efforts to prevent document misuse may assist in elevating its global standing in the future, reported ARY News on Thursday.
