Valentina Semaan, "Akhbar al-Yawm" agency

The first report for 2022 by "Henley&Partners", which specializes in citizenship and residency counseling around the world, said that there is a growing gap between the North and the south of the globe when it comes to freedom of travel.

The "Henley" index for the most powerful passports based on data from the International Air Transport Association ranks Singapore and Japan at the top of the list, as these two passports allow entry to 192 countries without a prior visa, according to CNN News.

South Korea and Germany came second with 190 points, while the passports of Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain were third with 198 points.

On the other hand, Afghanistan's passport ranks last as the holder needs a visa to most countries of the world, as it is allowed visa-free entry to only 26 countries.

EU countries dominate the top of the list as usual, with France, the Netherlands and Sweden up one point to join Austria and Denmark in fourth place with 188 points.

Ireland and Portugal are in fifth place with 187 points.

On the other hand, 5 Arab countries ranked in the list of the worst: Iraq (110 globally), Syria (109), Yemen (107) and Somalia (106), in addition to the passport of the Palestinian Authority (105) out of 199 countries.

The UAE passport did not enter the top ten, although other indicators rank it as the strongest in the world, considering that the holder can enter 160 countries without a prior visa.