The 13 countries with the most powerful passports

(Getty)

If you have citizenship in Sweden, you have a great deal of travelling power — Swedes can fly to 158 countries without ever showing a visa. This makes international travel cheaper and easier than it is for citizens of many other countries, like those of Afghanistan, who can only enter 24 countries without a visa.

The stark differences are revealed in the Passport Index, which ranks countries based on the number of nations where residents can go without purchasing a visa in advance or on arrival. Global financial advisory firm Arton Capital compiled government data from 193 countries and six territories to create the 2016 ranking.

Here are the 13 highest-ranking countries and the number of countries their citizens can visit without a visa.

13. Norway — 156 countries

12. South Korea — 156 countries

11. Belgium — 156 countries

10. The Netherlands — 156 countries

9. Italy — 156 countries

8. Denmark— 156 countries

7. The United Kingdom — 157 countries

(Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

6. Spain — 157 countries

5. Switzerland — 157 countries

4. France — 157 countries

3. Finland — 157 countries

2. Sweden — 158 countries

1. Germany — 158 countries

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