Shafaq News/ Iraq came out second to last in the Henley Passport Index, which ranks 199 countries based on the number of destinations that passport holders can access without a prior visa. Iraq passport holders can head to 28 countries without waiting for a visa.

The Iraqi passport was trumped by the Syrian (29) and Pakistani (31) passports. Only Afghanistan had a weaker passport than Iraq. Afghan citizens can go to only 26 destinations without the burden of filling out forms or applying for a visa.

Japan and Singapore's passports were the most powerful with 192, followed by Germany and South Korea (190). Itlay, Finland, Luxembourg, and Spain stood in the third spot with 189.

The Henley Passport Index is updated every quarter and claims to be “the only one of its kind” based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority.

“The latest results and research from the Henley Passport Index show how proliferating barriers to entry over the past 18 months of the pandemic have resulted in the widest global mobility gap in its 16-year history,” said investment advisory firm Henley & Partners, creators of the index.