Lebanese passports. (Credit: AFP file)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's passport was ranked 100th out of 199 passports according to the Henley Passport Index 2023 world ranking. Tied with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka and Sudan, Lebanon fell behind Iran, whose passport ranked 99th.
To determine the rank of each passport, the Henley Passport Index relies, among other things, on data collected from the International Air Transport Association as well as the number of destinations that do not request a visa from the passport holder — 42 out of 227 destinations in Lebanon's case.
On top of the visa-free destinations, the Henley Passport Index also takes Lebanon's GDP into account, which might have gravely affected its rank the Lebanon Economic Monitor reported that Lebanon's "revenues are estimated to have declined from an already low 13.1 percent of GDP in 2020 to 6.6 percent of GDP in 2021, among the lowest rates globally."
For comparison, in 2006, the Lebanese passport ranked 79th, before falling continuously from 2007 to 2012, reaching 88th slot. Lebanon ranked 107th and 103rd in 2021 and 2022, respectively.