The value of the British passport: UK travel document slips further down in international rankings

SAM | 18th April 2019

British and American passport holders may be concerned to hear that the value of their passports has slipped down the global rankings, according to the Nomad Passport Index.

 

Luxembourg citizens have the best passport in the world. Its citizens are able to travel to 186 other countries without requiring a visa, enjoy high levels of personal freedom and a positive perception globally as a country not in conflict with other nations.

 

The Index rates 199 different passports on five key criteria including how much visa-free travel it affords the holder, levels of personal freedom, the international community’s perception of the country, taxation and the ease of obtaining dual citizenship.

 

While the top ten passports are all from Europe, and nine of the top ten in the EU, the British passport slipped five places, from position 22 last year down to 27 as Brexit uncertainty intensified. This is a significant fall from grace for British passport holders as it was as high as 16 in 2017.

 

For US passport holders, global taxation of its citizens saw it fall to 38th position, tied with Romania and Hong Kong, yet ranking below Cyprus, Greece, Estonia and Lithuania.

 

Iraq has the world’s worst passport, with access to just 27 countries, little personal freedom and a poor international perception. Afghanistan narrowly avoided the bottom spot by just one point.

 

The 2019 top ranking passports are:

 

  1. Luxembourg – 114 points

2 (T). Switzerland – 113.5 points

2 (T). Sweden – 113.5 points

4 (T). Ireland – 113 points

4 (T). Belgium – 113 points

6 (T). Italy – 112.5 points

6 (T). Portugal – 112.5 points

6 (T). Finland – 112.5 points

9 (T). Spain – 112 points

9 (T). France – 112 points

 

France was ranked in the index for the first time ever this year, making the top 10 thanks to an excellent worldwide reputation, visa-free travel to 188 countries and global-citizenship friendly global citizenship policies.

 

To find out more, visit https://nomadcapitalist.com/nomad-passport-index/