US passport is now on par with Mexico

The world had been enjoying great freedom of movement, allowing people to travel from one country to another with little formalities to be done. And then came the travel bans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A new ranking of passports has hence found that US citizens have had their freedoms severely curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the latest Henley Passport Index, US passports have access to 158 countries, 27 less than before coronavirus and largely due to the EU's decision to temporarily ban travellers from the US.

Japan is top of the leaderboard, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 191 destinations around the world.

Singapore is in second place (with a score of 190) and South Korea ties with Germany in third place (with a score of 189).

The United States is currently placed seventh in official index, but under the current EU ban, Americans have around the same level of travel freedom as citizens of Mexico (No. 25 on Henley Passport Index, with a score of 159) and Uruguay (No. 28, with a score of 153).

India, with access to 58 countries, stands at the 85th spot.

The best passports to hold in 2020 are:

1. Japan (191 destinations)
2. Singapore (190)
3. South Korea, Germany (189)
4. Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg (188)
5. Denmark, Austria (187)
6. Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland (186)
7. Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium (185)
8. Greece, New Zealand, Malta, Czech Republic (184)
9. Canada, Australia (183)
10. Hungary (181)

Pakistan is one of the last four in the list of 109.

106. Pakistan (32)
107. Syria (29)
108. Iraq (28)
109. Afghanistan (26)

The Henley Passport Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations. It is updated in real time throughout the year, as and when visa policy changes come into effect.