Dhaka: Bangladesh has ranked 97th in the updated Henley Passport Index, gaining three notches up from its previous ranking.

With visa-free access to 41 countries, Bangladesh is holding the 97th position jointly with Lebanon, Libya and South Sudan, according to the index released on Wednesday, reports the UNB.

As for the neighbouring countries, Pakistan ranked 102nd (visa-free access to 33 countries), while India 79th (61 countries), Sri Lanka- 95th (43 countries) and Nepal took the 98thplace (40 countries) and Myanmar 90th position with visa-free access to 48 countries.

The Henley Passport Index is published since 2006 in cooperation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest tourist information database.

According to the report, the Japanese passport, allowing its holders to visit 190 countries without a visa, leads the ranking, followed by the Singaporean and South Korean passports (189 countries).

The Asian nation has come out on top of the index, which is revised quarterly, for the second time in a row. China jumped almost 20 places in just two years, from 85th in 2017 to 69th this year.

European countries also performed favourably, with France and Germany filling the third position and Denmark, Italy, Finland and Sweden taking the fourth spot with visa-free access to 187 countries.

The United States ranked sixth along with the United Kingdom with visa-free access to 185 countries while Canada ranked seventh.

The 10 most powerful passports in the world are Japan (190 countries), Singapore and South Korea (189), France and Germany (188), Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden (187) while Luxembourg and Spain (186) on fifth position.

And, the five least powerful passports in the world are Afghanistan and Iraq (30), Somalia and Syria (32), Pakistan (33), Yemen (37) and Eritrea at the bottom with visa-free access to 38 countries.