In a post on its social media page, the immigration department said the achievement reflects international trust and recognition of the security features of Malaysia’s travel document, which is highly regarded worldwide.

“Holders of Malaysian passports enjoy visa-free travel to 174 countries across the globe,” the post said.

According to data from www.passportindex.org, the United Arab Emirates passport tops the Passport Power Rank, followed by Singapore and Spain in joint second place.

Malaysia shares the third position with 15 other countries – Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Luxembourg, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, Norway, Ireland and South Korea.