Azerbaijan climbs three spots in 2026 passport ranking

Azerbaijan has moved up three places to rank 67th in the updated 2026 passport index by Henley & Partners.

1news.media informs, citing "Henley & Partners", at the pinnacle of the index, Singapore retains its position as the world’s most powerful passport, offering access to 192 destinations visa-free.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Afghanistan once again ranks last, with its passport holders able to travel to just 24 destinations without a prior visa.

Japan and South Korea rank joint 2nd in 2026, each offering visa-free access to 188 destinations, reinforcing Asia’s long-standing leadership at the top of the global mobility rankings. Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland follow in 3rd place with access to 186 destinations, ahead of an unprecedented group of 10 European countries tied for 4th.

The remainder of the upper-tier passports continue to underscore Europe’s dominance, with notable exceptions including UAE (5th), New Zealand (6th), Australia (7th), Canada (8th), and Malaysia (9th).

The US has returned to the Top 10 after briefly dropping out for the first time in late 2025, but this recovery masks a longer-term decline for both the US and the UK, which jointly held 1st place in 2014.

Among post-Soviet countries, Ukraine ranks 30th (visa-free access to 143 countries), Georgia 42nd (122 countries), Moldova 44th (120 countries), Russia 46th (113 countries), Belarus 60th (79 countries), Kazakhstan 61st (78 countries), Armenia 71st (66 countries), Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan 75th (61 countries), Tajikistan 81st (54 countries), and Turkmenistan 87th (47 countries).