KUWAIT CITY, Oct 25: The Kuwaiti passport ranked 97th on the Global Passport Index launched by Global Citizen Solution, a UK-based immigration consultancy. The index is a comprehensive tool for evaluating the best passports in the world, and allows individuals to discover the true strength of the passport using a number of metrics, including mobility, investment and quality of life indicators, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The index ranks the global passports of 197 countries not only by travel privileges, such as visa-free travel, but by indicators of mobility, investment opportunities and quality of life. The index measures countries according to the ease of travel for passport holders, as well as the investment opportunities available to them and the quality of life that specific countries provide. In the mobility index, Kuwait scored 37.62 points and bagged the 100th place, which is the index that carries the largest weight (50%) in the general index and depends on the travel advantages granted by each passport to its holder, taking into account also the level of “attractiveness” of the destination country based on the quality of life. Its holders can access it without a visa.

The Enhanced Mobility Index also takes into account the attractiveness of each destination, based on its quality of life score. According to the destinations that a Kuwaiti passport holder can travel to where a visa is required are 88 countries, 59 countries issue Kuwaitis visas on arrival and 51 countries do not require a visa. In the investment index, is used to provide an overall assessment of the economy as a choice for investment and other business decisions Kuwait scored 68.5 points. Prosperous countries with a dynamic economy are preferred, while the level of personal taxation is also taken into account. In the quality of life index, Kuwait scored 54.9 points.

This indicator covers six main components related to the quality of life in the country. Other areas, such as healthcare, education, and personal safety were also evaluated. The Quality of Living Index is equivalent to 25% of the total score calculation. According to the index, the United States is the most powerful passport in the world when taking into account the three individual indicators, followed by Germany, Canada, the Netherlands and Denmark. Kuwaiti numbers in the global passport index are as follows: 37.62 points in the mobility index, and stands in the 100th place, 88 countries require a visa before travelling, 59 on arrival, and 51 without a visa; Kuwait scored 68.5 points in the investment index, 54.9 points in the quality of life index. On Kuwait’s level on the quality of life index sustainable development was ranked medium, freedom -- partial, cost of living -- high, environmental performance – high, happiness – high and acceptance of immigrants – low.