Myanmar, Sri Lanka passports ahead of Bangladesh's in latest global index

Bangladesh's passport dropped one notch during the last three months, in the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index, the pioneer ranking of world's travel documents.

Out of a total 112 spots on the index, Bangladesh now ranks 104th, according to the Henley Passport Index 2022 Q2 released recently. In January it had ranked 103rd.

Bangladeshi passport holders can still travel to 40 foreign destinations without prior visas, as in last year and the beginning of this year. In 2020, the number was 41.

Bangladesh shares its latest position with Kosovo and Libya, as it did in January as well.

Two Asian counties -- Singapore and Japan -- remain on the top spot in the index jointly, with visa-free access to 192 locations.

One of the most interesting changes in the latest version of the index is the position of war-torn Ukraine.

Ukraine's passport now holds 34th rank with visa-free access to 143 countries, a record high for the nation.

Meanwhile, Russia sits in the 49th place with on-arrival visa access to 117 countries.

Among South Asian countries, the Indian passport now ranks 85th with its holders allowed visa-free travel (or with visa-on-arrival) to 59 countries.

Myanmar, which is under a military regime, is still ahead of Bangladesh. The country is at 98, with visa-free/ on-arrival access to 46 destinations.

Bhutan's passport, which allows its holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 53 destinations, ranks 91st in the ranking in 2022 Q2.

Sri Lanka remains just ahead of Bangladesh in the 103rd position in the index. The country's passport gives people visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 41 countries.

Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan fared worse than Bangladesh in the index like in January -- holding 106th, 109th and 112th positions respectively.

In 2006, Bangladeshi passport's ranking was 68th in the world, and since then it has continued to weaken.

The index, which covers 199 passports and 227 different travel destinations, is based on "exclusive" data provided by the International Air Transport Authority. The data is enhanced by extensive research and updated as and when visa policy changes come into effect.