Bangladeshi passport ranking falls

It is sad to see that in the Global Passport Power Rank 2018 index, the rank of Bangladeshi passport has dropped five more places from last year. In the latest survey, Bangladeshi passport ranked 100th in the index with visa-free access to 38 countries in 2018. But last year, Bangladesh ranked 95th in the same index. Neighbouring India has secured the 81st spot in the index, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 60 destinations.

I clearly remember that even during the early 90s, Bangladeshi people could visit many countries without a visa or with on-arrival visas like Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and more. But now we have to get a visa for most countries. This is very time-consuming. The image of Bangladesh needs to improve. This can be done by ensuring a corruption-free country.

Japan's passport topped the latest ranking and Singapore held the second position. The two Asian nations are now enjoying visa-free access to a record 190 and 189 destinations respectively, making them the most powerful and respected passports in the world.

Rahmatullah Sumon

Badda, Dhaka