Bangladesh has ranked 97th in the 2026 Henley Passport Index, jointly with North Korea, according to the London-based firm Henley & Partners. The index, released on Tuesday, measures how many destinations passport holders can visit without a prior visa. Bangladesh passport holders can now travel visa-free or with visa-on-arrival access to 35 destinations, down from 37 last year. Only Nepal, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan rank below Bangladesh.

The index evaluated 199 passports and 227 travel destinations this year. Singapore retained its top position, allowing visa-free access to 192 destinations, followed by Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates with 188 destinations each. Sweden ranked third with access to 187 destinations. Henley & Partners noted that the average passport now allows visa-free entry to 108 destinations, compared to 58 when the index was first published in 2006.

The report highlighted that global travel access has expanded over two decades, though geopolitical tensions and armed conflicts continue to affect international mobility. The gap between the strongest and weakest passports has widened, with Afghanistan offering visa-free access to only 22 destinations.