Hiiraan Online

Mogadishu (HOL) -  According to new research released by global citizenship and residence advisory firms, the Somalia passport is stillconsidered one of the weakest in the world.

Political instability in the country, as well as security and terrorism concerns, have left its citizens with a passport that can enter a few countries.

In 2021, Somalia's passport ranked as the fifth weakest passport on the planet.

According to Passport Index, an interactive passport ranking tool by Arton Capital, the Somalia passport ranks near the bottom in terms of travel freedom, with citizens only able to enter 35 countries with a visa on arrival and only eight visa-free countries. This is significantly less than the average of around 60-70 countries for most other passports. Arton Capital ranks Somali at 92 globally - tied with Yemen and Pakistan. Only war-torn Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan have worse-performing passports.

Henley Global, a leading global citizenship consultancy group, also ranks the Somalia passport among the weakest. Their Passport Index ranks countries based on the number of destinations their citizens can access without a visa, and as of 2023, the Somalia passport is ranked at position 104 out of 109.

Despite these challenges, there are efforts being made to improve the strength of the Somalia passport. The Somali government has introduced a biometric passport system, which would help to increase security and reduce fraud. Additionally, Somalia is working to improve its relations with other nations.