ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s passport has dropped nine places to 183rd globally in 2026, reversing the modest improvement recorded over the past three years, according to the latest Passport Reports ranking published by Gulf News.
Pakistan has a Mobility Score of 42, meaning Pakistani passport holders can access 42 destinations through visa-free entry, visas on arrival or electronic travel authorisations (eTAs).
Of these, only nine destinations offer visa-free access, while 29 provide visas on arrival and four permit entry through eTAs.
Travellers holding Pakistani passports must obtain visas in advance for the remaining 156 destinations covered by the index.
The nine visa-free destinations are Barbados, Dominica, The Gambia, Haiti, Micronesia, Rwanda, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu.
Pakistan’s latest ranking marks a significant reversal from its recent trajectory. It stood at 180th in 2023, 175th in 2024 and 174th in 2025, before falling to 183rd this year.
Only Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan rank below Pakistan in the 2026 index.
The country’s Mobility Score has also weakened, falling from 47 in 2024 to 44 in 2025 and 42 in 2026. The score had risen from 36 in 2020 to 47 in 2023.
The nine-place decline is the largest year-on-year drop recorded during the seven-year period covered by the data.
Despite the gains between 2023 and 2025, Pakistan’s current ranking is 14 places lower than its 2020 position of 169th.
Passport Reports measures passport strength based on the number of destinations accessible without securing a conventional visa before departure.
The report considers visa-free access the strongest form of passport mobility. Visa-on-arrival facilities allow travellers to obtain permission after reaching their destination, while an eTA requires electronic authorisation before travel and is not considered visa-free entry.
The latest figures show that Pakistan has lost ground in both global passport ranking and overall mobility compared with last year.
