Canada’s passport has moved up two spots to become the world’s 4th-most powerful travel document. (Ok, so it’s tied for fourth with Switzerland, South Korea, Japan, Ireland, and the United States, but still.)
Germany was crowned as having the world’s most powerful passport in the lone one spot.
The ranking is conducted annually by the Passport Index, which uses visa-free mobility as its ultimate determining factor. Each country’s passport is scored based on how many countries allow the passport holder of a particular country to enter without a visa.
With a Canadian passport, Canadians are able to travel visa-free to 158 countries. Last year, Canadians could only travel to 152 countries without a visa.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, sits at the bottom of the list. Its passport holders are only permitted to travel freely to 25 countries without extra documentation.
What’s interesting is that, while many countries openly welcome Canadians, Canada’s policy isn’t so open arms. Canada ranks 79th with a score of 53, which means we require visas from visitors from all but 53 countries in the world when they cross our border.
Once they’re in, however, we’re probably the most welcoming people in the world.