The annual passport index compiled by Arton Capital recently released its 2017 findings. Its interactive online tool easily curates and ranks world passports. Additionally, it studies and analyses the power of each passport based on the total number of countries that passport holders can travel to without a visa, including visa-free and visa on arrival destinations.

The annual passport index findings place the Botswana passport 4th most powerful African passport.

7 Interesting facts about Botswana’s ranking

Batswana don’t need a visa to visit 69 countries. This means Batswana can visit 44 countries visa-free, but need one upon arriving in 25 other countries. Botswana’s global power ranking puts it at 59 out of 199 countries, placing it behind South Africa, United Kingdom and Australia. Botswana has opened its borders to 103 countries whose citizens can visit Botswana without a visa. The countries to which Batswana can travel visa-free are mainly in Africa, Asia and Latin America. These include Ghana, Malaysia, Turkey, Singapore, The Philippines, Ireland, Jamaica, Iran and Hong Kong. Botswana opening its borders to 103 countries landed it the 42nd most welcoming country in the world position. Botswana was found to have the 4th most powerful African passport, after the Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa. The Botswana passport is also among the most affordable to obtain in the world.

German passport the most powerful

Germany – Visa-free score = 158

Passport power rank = 1

According to the newly updated travel index, German travellers hold the world’s strongest passport. German nationals can visit the most countries without needing to apply for a visa.

A total of 158 countries offer Germans either visa-free access or a visa on arrival nod, making citizens of the central European nation the most privileged passport holders on the planet.