Most Malaysians, if not all, know that our passport is among the strongest in the world. Some even like to boast that we can easily visit more than 100 countries without ever needing a visa.
Who can forget the time when Malaysian-born K-pop idol LingLing, leader of KIIRAS, was seen with her passport, where fans quipped that she was showing it off while expressing how proud they were. If you weren’t showing off your passport before, you might want to start now, as it’s been reported that Malaysia has officially broken into the top three most powerful passports.
Yesterday (Wednesday, 5th November), the Immigration Department announced on social media that the Malaysian passport now ranks third globally among the most powerful passports in the world. “The Malaysian passport continues to make us proud as it now ranks third globally in the 2025 Passport Index. This recognition enables Malaysian citizens to enjoy visa-free travel to 174 countries across the world,” the caption read.
For those who may not be familiar, the Passport Index, compiled annually, measures the power of passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. According to the official website, Malaysia shares the third global ranking with 15 other countries, including South Korea, Ireland, Germany and Denmark. In second place are Singapore and Spain, whose citizens can access 175 countries visa-free, while the United Arab Emirates takes the top spot with 179 countries.
As soon as the news broke, netizens took to social media to share their thoughts on this latest milestone. While some were delighted by the achievement, others felt it meant little, arguing that travelling remains a privilege few can afford due to the weak currency.
We have to agree that, although it’s exciting to know that we can travel to so many countries in the world, most of us can barely afford to even travel domestically. Let’s hope that things will improve so we can go on our dream holidays one day.
Sources: Facebook, PassportIndex, Twitter, NST
