Press release from Henley & Partners shows that Uzbekistan has made significant progress in the Henley & Partners World Passport Ranking, climbing five positions. As of the third quarter of 2023, Uzbekistan now occupies the 78th spot in the ranking. Uzbek citizens can travel to 59 countries without a visa or obtain one upon arrival. This improvement in ranking is primarily due to changes in the positions of other countries. Uzbekistan recently signed a visa-free travel agreement with Djibouti but lost access to Uganda during the same period.
In comparison to other post-Soviet countries, Uzbekistan's passport ranking lags behind. Belarus holds the 64th position with visa-free access to 79 states, followed by Kazakhstan at 66th place with access to 76 states. Azerbaijan ranks 72nd with access to 69 countries, and Armenia ranks 74th with access to 66 countries. Russia officially occupies the 49th position with visa-free access to 115 countries. However, the closure of air links with the European Union and the United States has posed significant challenges to travel for Russian passport holders.
Japan, which held the top position for the past five years, has been dethroned by Singapore in the latest ranking. Singaporean citizens enjoy visa-free access to 193 countries and territories. Germany, Italy, and Spain share the second position with visa-free access to 192 countries. Seven countries, namely Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, France, Sweden, South Korea, and Japan, jointly hold the third position with visa-free access to 189 countries.
At the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan occupies the last position, ranking 103rd. Afghan passport holders can travel visa-free to only 27 countries.
Henley & Partners also assessed countries' openness based on their visa policies. The most closed countries include Afghanistan, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, and Turkmenistan, which do not offer visa-free access at all. Libya, Bhutan, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, and India are also ranked among the least open countries, as they offer visa-free access from fewer than five countries.
On the contrary, the most open countries in terms of visa-free access to all countries include Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, Micronesia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, East Timor, and Tuvalu.
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