Fact-check: Govt makes misleading claim about improvement in Pakistani passport ranking

The Government of Pakistan's official X (Twitter) account claimed that a global passport ranking index had "significantly improved" Pakistan's passport ranking, moving it from 113th position in 2021 to 100th position in 2025. The post added that this reflected the country’s growing international engagements.

The claim is misleading, as it distorts the global report.

Claim

On June 29, the Government of Pakistan's official account on X, formerly Twitter, posted: "Pakistan achieves a notable milestone in global mobility."

It further stated that the Henley Passport Index 2025, a global passport ranking index, showed a significant improvement in Pakistan’s ranking, rising from 113th in 2021 to 100th in 2025.

"The enhanced ranking reflects Pakistan's growing international engagements and strengthened diplomatic ties," the post added, calling it a remarkable rise.

The post was later deleted without any explanation or clarification. Below are screenshots of the post, captured by Geo Fact Check before it was removed.

The claim was also shared by PTV, the state broadcaster, and is still available on its website, as well as on the Prime Minister's Facebook page.

Fact

The claim misrepresents the findings of the Henley Passport Index report.

Pakistan’s passport continues to rank among the bottom four globally in both 2021 and 2025. The change in Pakistan's rank number is due to adjustments in the index over the years, not an improvement in visa-free access.

The London-based Henley Passport Index has monitored the world's most travel-friendly passports since 2006. It releases four reports each year — in Quarters 1, 2, 3, and 4. Passports are ranked based on how many destinations their holders can enter without a prior visa.

In the first quarter of 2021, the index ranked 199 passports. Pakistan was placed 107th with a visa-free score of 32 (thus countries its holder can access without a visa) making it the fourth lowest, ahead of only Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, Pakistan did rank 113th with a visa-free score of 31, but it still remained in the fourth lowest position.

In 2025, in a report published on June 9, the Henley Passport Index again ranked 199 countries, with some countries sharing the same rank.

Pakistan came in 100th but was once again fourth from the bottom, ahead only of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. This time, Pakistan shared the 100th position with Somalia and Yemen, but received a visa-free score of 32 — the same as in Quarter 1 of 2021.

All the reports of the Henley Passport Index can be access here:

Verdict: The Government of Pakistan and the state broadcaster have misrepresented the global index report to suggest that Pakistan's passport ranking has improved over the years, when in fact there has been no notable improvement.

Follow us on @GeoFactCheck on X (formerly Twitter) and @geo_factcheck on Instagram. If our readers detect any errors, we encourage them to contact us at [email protected].