World's weakest passports for 2026 revealed

Earlier this week, Singapore retained its position as the world’s most powerful passport, offering access to 192 destinations visa-free. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the spectrum, Afghanistan once again ranked last, with its passport holders able to travel to just 24 destinations without a prior visa.

The rankings were revealed in the latest Henley Passport Index 2026, which lists all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

“A record number of people are expected to travel in 2026. The unequivocal economic and social benefits generated by this travel grow as it becomes more accessible. But while more people have the economic freedom to travel, many nationalities are seeing that a passport alone is no longer sufficient to cross borders”, said IATA director general Willie Walsh.

IATA forecasts that airlines will carry more than 5.2 billion passengers globally this year.

The UAE stands out as the strongest performer on the Henley Passport Index over the past 20 years, adding 149 visa-free destinations since 2006 and climbing 57 places to 5^th on the rankings with access to 184 destinations visa-free, driven by sustained diplomatic engagement and visa liberalisation.

Countries across the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe have also made significant gains over the past two decades, led by Albania, which climbed 36 places to rank 43^rd on the index. Ukraine has risen 34 places (to 30^th), followed by Serbia (+30 to 34^th), North Macedonia (+27 to 38^th), and both Bosnia and Herzegovina (+29) and Georgia (+26), which now share 42^nd place.

Bolivia is the only country on the index to have seen an overall decline in visa-free access over the past 20 years, losing five visa-free destinations and falling 32 places to rank at 61^st in 2026.

During the last decade, Kosovo has seen the biggest rise in the ranking, up 38 places (from 97^th to 59^th since 2016) with access to an additional 43 destinations. Another notable climber is China, which has risen 28 places (from 87^th to 59^th) over the past 10 years, adding an additional 31 destinations to its total score of 141 countries that its citizens can now visit without a prior visa.

Sitting at the bottom of the list is Afghanistan at 101^st spot, with a visa-free score of 24.

One position above is Syria (100th) with a visa-free score of 26. Slightly better off is Iraq (99th) with a score of 29.

Pakistan and Yemen share the 98^th spot, with a visa-free score of 31.

Somalia (97^th rank, 33 score), Nepal (96^th, 35) and Bangladesh (95^th, 37) rank higher.

The 94^th spot is shared by Eritrea, North Korea and Palestinian Territory (visa-free score of 38).

On the 93^rd rank are Libya and Sri Lanka (visa-free score 39).

With a rank of 92, Iran passport holders get vis-free access to 40 destinations.