If you were to rank how well Australia is trusted/received/liked in the world according to the number of countries that allows Australian passport holders to enter without a visa, then Australia is not the most favoured nation but however doing quite well compared to most others, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Ranked a joint number 9 with the Czech Republic and Hungary the Australian passport sits behind some 24 countries on the Arton Capital’s ‘Passport Index‘.

The index was developed on an interactive website which “collects, displays and ranks the passports of the world.” Using data from the International Air Transportation Agency (IATA) as well as individual travellers, the site’s creators crunched the numbers and determined a passports’ Visa Free Score, or the number of countries that allow its holder to enter without a visa. The higher the Visa Free Score, the higher the “Passport Power Rank.”

“Visa requirements are an interesting but overlooked indicator of international relations. Most countries require non-nationals to get visas before they enter their borders, but the requirements can differ a lot,” notes the report.

“Countries that are allies often offer each others’ citizens a quick visa on arrival. For countries that are not so friendly, a visitor may have to provide entry and exit information, a letter of invitation, and even list all of the clubs they belonged to in high school — as well as paying a hefty fee.”

The top 2 nations were the US and UK whose passports are the most widely accepted in the world with 147 nations opening their doors to travellers visa-free. Tied for second place are France, Germany, and South Korea, with 145 countries.

Advanced economies generally top the list whilst nations in conflict ranked the lowest with an estimated 28 countries allowing them visa-free entry.

The Australian passport has an estimated 138 possible visa-free countries.