"Visa requirements continue to play an important role in controlling the movement of individuals across borders," says Andrew Taylor, vice chairman of Henley & Partners. "Visa policies are also an expression of the relationships between individual nations and generally reflect the relations and status of a country within the international community."
The 2014 Index reveals that South Africa has moved up one spot in the rankings and now occupies 41st position on its own. The RSA passport now offers visa-free access to 97 countries around the globe, up three from its 2013 ranking.
At the top of the Index, Finland, Sweden and the UK have been joined by Germany and the US, with citizens of each of those countries able to travel visa-free to 174 destinations.
"Citizens from developed countries have more freedom to travel compared to developing countries and countries that are suffering from political instability. The bottom four spots remain the same as in 2013, with citizens from Pakistan (32), Somalia (32), Iraq (31) and Afghanistan (28) enjoying the least freedom of travel," says Taylor.
