The strongest passport in the world in 2026 is that of the United Arab Emirates, as reported by the Global Passport Index, which measures the “power” of passports. Italy, on the other hand, ranks fourth globally, with a score of 173 and 120 destinations accessible without any need for a visa, while Afghanistan’s passport is confirmed in last place, with a mobility result of 35 points and only 3 countries that can be visited without a visa (Haiti, Micronesia and Dominica).
However, our passport remains one of the most powerful in the world: it must be said, however, that according to the ranking of Passport Reports (an independent global platform) the Italian document is actually positioned in 7th place in the ranking, together with other European countries such as Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. These differences, in reality, depend on the criteria with which the lists are drawn up: the Passport Reports ranking, in fact, also takes into account additional criteria such as the countries that can be visited with an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), 11 for Italy.
From a European point of view, Spain has the strongest passport, ranking 3rd globally, with a score of 174 and 121 countries that can be visited without a visa, only one country different from Italy. What makes the difference is the Republic of Nauru, a micro-state (the third smallest in the world after the Vatican City and the Principality of Monaco) located in Micronesia, about 50 km south of the equator.
In more detail, the global ranking of the top 10 strongest passports in the world includes:
- United Arab Emirates;
- Singapore and Malaysia;
- Spain;
- Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Norway, Ireland, Japan;
- Malta, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Latvia, South Korea;
- Romania, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Estonia;
- Cyprus, Lithuania, United Kingdom;
- Canada, Liechtenstein, New Zealand;
- Iceland, Australia;
- United States.
As can be seen, most of these positions are occupied by European countries: the “power” of passports depends on numerous factors including economic stability, the political situation, but also the importance and geopolitical influence of the country in question, the most developed sectors of the country such as tourism, culture, openness to international exchanges and the degree of progress in the field of civil and social rights.
The 10 weakest passports in the world (ranked starting from the weakest overall) are, instead, those of:
- Afghanistan;
- Syria
- Iraq;
- Pakistan;
- Yemen, Somalia;
- Palestine;
- North Korea;
- Eritrea, Bangladesh, South Sudan.
- Libya;
- Sudan, Iran.
