Trying to get a travel-friendly passport? Canada, US no longer hotspots

If you’re thinking about applying for a US or Canadian passport, then you might have to think again.

According to the Henley Passport Index, which ranks countries based on the power of their passports, Japan and Singapore have topped the list of the world’s most travel-friendly passports. Both countries’ passports allow access to 189 countries.

South Korea, Finland and Germany are in the second tier, with citizens of all three countries able to visit 187 countries around the world without a prior visa. Finland has recently benefited from changes to Pakistan’s formerly highly restrictive visa policy which now offers an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) to citizens of 50 countries, including Finland, Japan, Malta, Spain, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

Denmark, Italy and Luxembourg are on third place in the index, with visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 186 countries, while France, Spain and Sweden are in the fourth slot, with a score of 185.

The US and the UK have slipped down to the 6th place, the lowest position either has held since 2010.

Meanwhile, at No. 106, Pakistan is one of the worst passports in the world considering its citizens need a prior visa for all but 30 destinations worldwide. Afghanistan is at the bottom of the rankings, with its citizens needing a prior visa for all but 25 destinations worldwide.