How powerful is your passport?

Some passports are better than others. South Africans who travelled during the apartheid era will attest to this.

To make comparisons easy, Arton Capital has created the Passport Index. The index ranks passports based on the number of countries the holder can travel to with ease.

The index can be navigated via a world map, a list of countries or, for the aesthetically minded, by passport colour.

The Swiss passport, nicknamed le croix blanche by francophone Swiss, ranks number five and gives easy access to 142 countries. The top spot is shared (many passports share the same position) by the UK and US passports, which give their holders easy access to 147 countries.

At the bottom in 80^th position are South Sudan, Solomon Islands, Palestine, Sao Tome and Principe and Myanmar passports, all of which give easy access to as few as 28 countries. Even North Korea is ahead of these five with a rank of 73 and easy access to 44 countries, although this of only theoretical value given that most North Koreans are not permitted to leave their country. South Korea by contrast ranks in second place with easy access to 145 countries.

Fortunately, the South African passport has gained ground and now sits in 41^st position with easy access to 84 countries.

You can see the full list of passports on the Passport Index website.