American Passports Aren't Among The World's Most Desirable

The United States is not among the top-ranked countries for most desirable passport and citizenship in the world, one study finds.

Nomad Passport Index, the company conducting the rankings, placed the U.S. 35th out of 199 countries and territories, tying with Slovenia. Sweden ranked first, followed by Belgium. Italy and Spain tied for third. Only two non-European countries, Canada, New Zealand and Australia were included in the top 16.

Five factors went into the rankings: the ability to travel without a visa, taxation— how non-resident citizens are taxed — the world's perception of a country, the ability to maintain dual citizenship and overall freedom.

The United States scored the lowest on taxation, tying with Eritrea. The score was a bit higher on perception, but not significantly. According to the study, perception was ranked as countries whose citizens experienced minimal hostility and were ranked the happiest. A high score was 50. The United States received a 20, classified as an intermediate ranking.