By:Matt Broomfield @hashtagbroom
United Kingdom comes joint-fourth, behind Germany in top position, while countries on Donald Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’ list rank among worst for ability to travel freely
A German passport remains the most powerful across the globe, while its British equivalent is growing weaker, according to the 2017 update of an annual study which ranks countries on how many other nations they can visit without a visa.
German passport holders can enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 176 nations across the globe. With the exception of Japan, Canada and the United States, the 20 nations enjoying the freest movement around the globe are all located in Western Europe.
The United Kingdom is joint-fourth, behind seven other nations. A British passport will now secure you access to 173 countries without a visa: that’s the same as Singapore, and less than Italy or Spain. From 2013 to 2015, the UK shared pole position with the Germans, before slumping in 2016.
By contrast, Afghanistan is at the bottom of the pile, according to research compiled by law firm Henley & Partners and seen by The Independent. Citizens of the war-torn nation can travel visa-free to only 24 other countries. Rounding out the bottom five are Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Somalia.
Both Syria and Somalia still appear on President Donald Trump’s revised ‘Muslim ban’ no-fly list, while Iraq was removed from the list given that they are allied with the United States in the fight against Isis.
The 10 nations with the least freedom to travel are all Muslim-majority, with the exception of majority-Hindu Nepal. They include Libya and Yemen, whose citizens were also set to be banned from travel by President Trump. Iran, the final country included in the ban whose second draft was recently blocked by a Hawaiian judge, is in the bottom 20.
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