Although people with US citizenship can visit 176 countries without a visa, this passport is only ranked 35 out of 199 when it comes to other factors such as tax freedom, and the world's perception of the country and its people.
The findings come from consulting firm Nomad Capitalist, which has ranked 199 different citizenships based on five factors – visa-free travel, international taxation, perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.
With the exception of New Zealand in joint tenth place, the top ten most powerful passports in the world this year all come from European countries. In joint 17th place were Canada and Australia.
In first place are passports from Luxembourg, which grant visa-free travel to 177 countries, and the ability to hold both dual and multiple citizenships. Citizens from this country also enjoy an excellent reputation, which means minimal hold ups at passport control when abroad.
Last year, the Swiss passport was number one but it dropped to third place as the country introduced military conscription, which caused the freedom score to decline.
Dropping six places to 22nd is the British passport. This was a consequence of decreased personal privacy and concerns about Britain leaving the European Union.
However, citizens can still visit 177 countries visa-free, are almost always allowed to hold another citizenship, have relatively high levels of personal freedom and are thought about quite highly abroad.
The worst passport to own is the Afghan passport. It only allows entry into 24 countries visa-free, its citizens are often refused entry to a substantial number of countries and also encounter substantial hostility. People from Afghanistan are strictly forbidden to hold other citizenships and experience far less freedom than other nations.
Iraqi passports are the second worst, with travel permitted to 27 countries, low perception from other countries and low levels of freedom. Eritrea is third from the bottom.
The Ten Most Powerful Passports In The World For 2018
1 - Luxembourg
2 = Ireland
2 = Switzerland
4 - Portugal
5 = Sweden
5 = Italy
5 = Spain
5 = Finland
5 = Denmark
10 = Germany
10 = New Zealand
