Bangladeshi passport remains world’s 7th weakest

The Bangladeshi passport has again been ranked the seventh weakest in the world, allowing its holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to just 37 out of 227 destinations, according to the January 2026 edition of the Henley Passport Index.

The latest ranking, released on Tuesday by Henley & Partners, has placed Bangladesh at the 95th position among 101 countries. In the previous edition, Bangladesh ranked 100th out of 106, also making it the seventh weakest passport globally.

Bangladesh trails behind Palestine and North Korea, which jointly occupy the 94th position with access to 38 destinations. Despite being largely isolated internationally, North Korea and the war-ravaged Palestinian territories offer their passport holders access to one more destination than Bangladesh.

The index comprises 101 ranking positions, with several countries sharing the same rank based on how many destinations their passport holders can visit without obtaining a visa in advance. 

In 2026, Singapore tops the list, offering visa-free access to 192 countries. Japan and South Korea are jointly in second place, with access to 188 destinations. 

They are followed by five European nations – Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, which share third place with visa-free entry to 186 countries.

At the bottom of the index are Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

Covering data from the past 20 years, the Henley Passport Index is the only global ranking based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). 

It tracks 199 passports and 227 travel destinations and is widely used as a benchmark for measuring global mobility.