Turkey has risen seven places on a list of countries with the most powerful passports and now ranks 50th, according to the Henley Passport Index 2022.
The country was ranked 57th in 2021.
Turkish citizens can travel to 110 countries visa-free, according to the index.
The passport index is compiled using exclusive data from International Air Transport Association (IATA). For the purpose of the index, 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations were studied.
The Turkish passport is weaker than the passports of countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Paraguay, while it has a better ranking than the passports of China, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, among others.
At the top of the list are Japan and Singapore, which have “visa-free” access to 192 destinations, followed by Germany and South Korea, which have “visa-free” access to 190 destinations.
The Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The ranking is based on exclusive data from the IATA, which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information, and is enhanced by ongoing research by the Henley & Partners Research Department.
The rankings come at a time when the travel industry has been among the worst-hit sectors globally amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
On the index, Turkey had ranked 55th in 2020, dropping three places compared to its ranking of 52nd in 2019.
According to the index, which has been available since 2006, Turkey’s passport peaked in 2014, ranking 38th.
Turks frequently complain about the weakness of the Turkish passport as they have to obtain visas to visit many countries.
Criticism of the declining value of the Turkish passport has occasionally elicited disproportionate action from the Turkish government.
Last year, two young people were briefly detained, handcuffed and released on judicial probation including a travel ban for allegedly insulting the value of the Turkish passport in a TikTok video in which they were seen using Turkish passports for various purposes other than traveling such as coasters, hot pot holders and bookmarks.
