Guyana passport drops on visa-free index

Guyana’s passport allows its citizens to visit 74 countries without a visa

Guyana has dropped within a year on the Arton Capital’s Passport Index ranking. The ranking index recently released its updated list, targeting 199 countries. It noted that Guyana’s passport allows its citizens to visit 74 countries without a visa.

According to the latest statistics, Guyana is ranked at 103 out of 199 countries and states from around the world. This is a step down from 2016, when Guyana was ranked at number 99 out of 199 countries.

Back in 2016, Guyanese citizens did not need a visa when travelling to 73 locations. While Guyana has added one more destination, the country’s drop indicates the rise of other countries who gained even more visa-free travel destinations.

The highest ranked South American nation is Brazil. Listed at number 40 with 143 destinations, Brazil jumped three places higher than the 2016 list. In comparison to Guyana’s continental neighbours, only two other South American nations are ranked lower. These are Bolivia, at number 116 with 67 destinations; and Suriname, at 109 with 70 destinations.

Barbados is the highest ranked Caribbean state, topping the region at number 50 with 132 destinations. Following closely are The Bahamas at 53 with 129 destinations; Antigua and Barbuda, at 56 with 124 destinations and St Kitts and Nevis, at 57 with 123 destinations. Trinidad and Tobago was ranked at 59, with 121 destinations.

The index noted that German citizens enjoy the most powerful passport in the world, as they are allowed visa-free access to 158 countries. The United States missed the top 10, with 156 destinations. The country that beat them and rounded out the top 10 was the United Kingdom, also with 156 destinations.

The lowest ranked passport on the list is the Afghanistan passport, which grants visa-free travel to 23 destinations.

The Passport Index ranks 193 United Nations member countries and six territories. The territories – Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestinian Territory and the Vatican – amount to a total of 199 states.

Territories which are annexed to other countries and do not issue their own passports are excluded and not considered as destinations.

The ranking is exclusively for countries which issue passports, regardless of whether they enforce independent visa policies or not.

Their data is compiled alternatively from proprietary research or from official information provided by Government agencies.

To determine the rank of each passport, a three-tier method is applied; firstly, a Visa-free score (VFS) is used which includes visa-free (VF) and visa on arrival (VOA). The VF portion of the country’s score is then compared against the VOA.

In instances where there is a tie, such as in the instance of the UK and the USA on this year’s index, the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index (UNDP HDI) is used as a tie breaker. This index measures and compares the countries’ perception globally.