How powerful a passport is, is determined by the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free. The ranking system awards a passport one point for each country it allows travel to without the need for a pre-obtained visa. Passports are also awarded a point if the bearer can obtain a visa on arrival, or a visitor’s permit or electronic travel authority. No points are awarded for destinations for which the traveller needs to obtain a visa, or government approval, before arriving in the country.
Here are the top 20 weakest passports in the world.
| Rank | Passport issuing country | Visa-free destinations |
| 1. | Afghanistan | 28 |
| 2. | Syria | 29 |
| 3. | Iraq | 31 |
| 4. | Pakistan | 34 |
| 5. | Yemen | 35 |
| 6. | Somalia | 36 |
| 7. | Palestinian Territory | 40 |
| 8. | Nepal | 40 |
| 9. | Libya | 40 |
| 10. | North Korea | 42 |
| 11. | Bangladesh | 42 |
| 12. | Sri Lanka | 43 |
| 13. | Eritrea | 43 |
| 14. | Sudan | 43 |
| 15. | Nigeria | 45 |
| 16. | Lebanon | 45 |
| 17. | Iran | 45 |
| 18. | South Sudan | 46 |
| 19. | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 46 |
| 20. | Ethiopia | 47 |
