Pakistan Passport Improvement Claim Misrepresents Henley Index Data

After the Henley Passport Index released its ranking of the world’s passports for 2026, Pakistan’s Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi claimed that Pakistan’s passport ranking had improved, calling it a “great achievement”.

This statement is false.

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On January 15, Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi wrote on his official

Its publication was accompanied by a news report from Gulf Newsan English-language newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which stated that Pakistan’s passport had jumped to 98th place in the 2026 Henley Passport Index, up from 100th place in 2025. The report attributed this change to “increased diplomatic efforts and recent international agreements that are gradually expanding freedom of travel for Pakistani citizens.”

Several Pakistani media organizations also reported an improvement in Pakistan’s passport ranking based on this claim.

Made

The claim misrepresents the findings of the Henley Passport Index released on January 9. The strength of Pakistan’s passport has not improved. In fact, the number of destinations that Pakistani passport holders can access visa-free decreased from 33 in 2025 to 31 in 2026.

The Henley Passport Index is compiled by London-based immigration consultancy Henley & Partners. It ranks passports annually based on the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a visa in advance.

At the end of 2025, Pakistan was ranked 103 with a visa-free score of 33, meaning Pakistani passport holders could enter 33 destinations without a prior visa.

In the 2026 Henley Passport Index, Pakistan is ranked 98th, but its visa-free score has fallen to 31. This indicates that Pakistani passport holders can now access fewer destinations visa-free compared to last year.

Despite the numerical change in the rankings, Pakistan has remained fifth from bottom in both years.

The report can be accessed here.

It is also important to note that Henley & Partners publishes four passport index updates each year.

Geographic data verification Contacted Henley Passport Index for clarification. A spokesperson explained that an improvement in ranking does not necessarily reflect a stronger passport.

“Rankings are often affected by movement and consolidation in the rest of the list, so they need to be seen in context. The change in visa-free score is a more accurate measure of how the strength of a passport has evolved over the year,” he explained.

He added that many passports around the world lost access to certain destinations this year due to changes in visa policies and the introduction of eVisa systems.

“Pakistan’s passport has maintained its position at fifth place since the bottom of the list, indicating that it has neither lost significant ground nor seen any significant improvement,” he said.

Pakistan Passport Ranking & Visa-Free Score (2021-2026)

Verdict: The real measure of the strength of Pakistan passports in the Henley Passport Index is their visa-free score. To that extent, Pakistan’s score has declined and its position near the bottom of the index remains unchanged. The claim that this represents a “great achievement” is misleading.