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Russian passport ranks 51st in rating of world's most attractive — report

Meanwhile, the number of countries and territories that Russian passport holders can visit without a visa increased from 115 to 119

LONDON, January 10. /TASS/. The Russian passport ranked 51st in the annual Henley Passport Index rating determined by the consulting company Henley&Partners, which published the results on its website.

Countries whose passports allow citizens to visit the largest number of countries and territories topped the rankings.

The previous report, released last July, ranked the Russian passport two positions higher than the newest rating. Meanwhile, the number of countries and territories that Russian passport holders can visit without a visa increased from 115 to 119.

The Henley Passport Index has been released annually since 2006. It is calculated on the basis of official data furnished by the International Air Transport Association for 199 countries and territories. Russia was 62nd in 2006, when citizens could visit 35 countries without a visa. Russia's passport held its highest position - 38th - in 2014.

The first rung of the rating is occupied by six countries - France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain. Holders of passports of these states have visa-free access to 194 countries and territories out of 227 considered in the rating. The second tier includes Finland, Sweden and South Korea (193 countries), and the third comprises Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands (191 countries). US citizens do not need a visa to enter 188 countries (7th place). Afghanistan (28 countries), Syria (29) and Iraq (31) sit at the bottom of the list.

The UAE continues to show the fastest growth, the release noted. Since 2014 (the UAE occupied the 55th position back then), the number of countries available for visa-free visits to its nationals has increased by 104, putting the country at 11th as of today. China and Ukraine also demonstrated significant growth - each of these countries rose in the ranking by 21 positions in 10 years. They occupy 62nd and 32nd places.

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