Uzbekistan climbed five positions at once in the Henley & Partners World Passport Ranking, Spot reported citing the company’s press service.

For the third quarter of 2023, Uzbekistan ranks 78th. Citizens of the country can visit 59 countries without a visa, or by obtaining it upon arrival. Compared to the beginning of the year, the country improved its position in the index by five positions.

However, this happened due to changes in the positions of other countries. During the reporting period, Uzbekistan concluded an agreement on visa-free travel with Djibouti, but at the same time lost access to Uganda.

The Uzbek passport loses to almost all post-Soviet countries. Belarus ranks 64th (79 states), Kazakhstan – 66th (76), Azerbaijan – 72nd (69), Armenia – 74th (66). Russia formally occupies 49th place (115 countries), but the closure of air links with the EU and the US significantly complicates travel.

For the first time in five years, Japan lost the lead, losing it to Singapore. Singapore citizens can enter 193 countries and territories without prior notice to local authorities. For them, a visa is either not required at all, or it can be obtained upon arrival.

The second place was shared by European countries with 192 states – Germany, Italy and Spain. In third place are seven states at once: Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, France, Sweden, South Korea and Japan. Citizens of these states can travel without a visa to 189 countries.

Afghanistan became an outsider of the rating, taking the last 103rd place. Afghans can travel visa-free to just 27 countries.

Moreover, Henley & Partners made a ranking of countries’ openness. The most closed countries are Afghanistan, North Korea, Papua New Guinea and Turkmenistan. These countries do not provide visa-free access at all. Next in terms of closedness are Libya, Bhutan, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea and India, which can be entered without a visa from less than five countries.

The most open countries providing visa-free access to all countries: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, Micronesia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, East Timor and Tuvalu.