Omani passport rank improves by three places as India’s drops one

Muscat: Oman’s global passport ranking has risen by three places, but India's has dropped one in a new report that ranks all of the world’s passports.

The 2019 Henley and Partners Passport Index ranks Oman at 64, up from 67 the previous year, although its score has increased by five points, rising from 72 to 77. This means that Omani passport holders can now visit 79 countries either without a visa, or by obtaining a visa on arrival.

Conversely, however, the ranking of the Indian passport has dropped to 82 from last year’s ranking of 81.

Japan is the world’s highest-ranked passport in 2019, with a score of 189, enabling Japanese passport holders to visit 190 countries with no prior visa. Singapore is second, with Poland, Germany and South Korea completing the top five.

At the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan is the world’s worst-ranked passport, followed by Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Somalia. Sri Lanka is placed 96th globally, up three places since last year, while Bangladesh now occupies the 99th spot, up one position since last year.