People who move from country to country usually need a passport. These are issued by the country where people live and show their identity and citizenship. Among the values of a passport is how many countries it allows people to visit. For most countries, passports are recognized by over 100 other countries.
The places one can visit without a pre-issued visa are determined largely by diplomatic ties between the country that issued the passport and the rest of the world. A U.S. passport, for example, grants its holder visa-free access to 187 countries, the seventh most of any country.
Factors that can affect the ability to travel freely from country to country include international perceptions of the traveler’s nationality, restrictions on obtaining dual citizenship, and the number of countries the traveler can enter without a visa.
The country with the passport that can get people into the fewest countries is Afghanistan at 26, though Iraq and Syria follow closely at 28 and 29, respectively. Japan is at the top of the list with 191. The data come from the Nomad Passport Index 2021.
The World Economic Forum makes a similar measurement of passport value with slightly different results. At the top of its list are Japan and Singapore, with passports that let people travel to 192 countries. It also puts Afghanistan at the bottom, followed by Iraq and Syria.
Click here to see which countries have the most valuable passports.
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