THE UK passport has dropped in a ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, placing in joint sixth place on the annual list.
The Henley Passport Index, which uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival.
Japan topped the list for another year running, giving its holders access to 193 destinations with no visa or without one needing to be issued pre-departure.
Singapore and South Korea came in joint second place, with a score of 192.
EU member states filled up the rest of the top 10 spots, with Germany and Spain in joint-third place, with access to 190 countries visa-free.
Finland, Italy and Luxembourg follow in joint fourth place with 189 destinations, and Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden take fifth place, with their passport holders having access to 188 destinations.
The UK and the US both dropped down the rankings, to sixth and seventh place with access to 187 and 186 countries respectively.
The Russian passport sits at 50th place with a score of 119, with passport holders facing restrictions due to sanctions, travel bans and airspace closures after the nation invaded Ukraine.
The Ukrainian passport takes a higher spot, currently sitting at 35th place, with holders able to access 144 destinations around the world without needing a visa in advance.
Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the index as its nationals can only access 27 destinations worldwide visa-free.